IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jcjust/v98y2025ics0047235225000558.html

Drunk and dangerous? Exploring the tenuous links among drunk driving, alcohol arrests, and firearm violence in an urban context

Author

Listed:
  • Melde, Chris
  • Circo, Giovanni
  • Zeoli, April
  • Wolfe, Scott
  • Sadler, Richard C.
  • Oliphant, Stephen
  • Almanza, Matthew
  • O'Brien, Mallory

Abstract

Recent research and policy discussions have focused on prohibiting individuals with repeat alcohol-related offenses from purchasing or possessing firearms. To expand on this work, we use linked administrative data from a cohort sample (n = 36,274) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin residents to assess the association between arrests for alcohol-related offenses and later involvement in gun violence as either a shooting suspect or victim. Findings suggest arrests for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and other alcohol-related offenses were associated with increased risk of firearm-related violence only in models that did not account for other forms of offending, while no association was observed after controlling for non-violent or violent arrest histories. Our findings suggest that alcohol-related offenses do not act as an efficient marker of future firearm violence risk in Milwaukee. Policies that restrict firearm purchase or possession based on alcohol-related offenses may therefore do little to address gun violence in urban contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Melde, Chris & Circo, Giovanni & Zeoli, April & Wolfe, Scott & Sadler, Richard C. & Oliphant, Stephen & Almanza, Matthew & O'Brien, Mallory, 2025. "Drunk and dangerous? Exploring the tenuous links among drunk driving, alcohol arrests, and firearm violence in an urban context," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s0047235225000558
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102406
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235225000558
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102406?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McGinty, E.E. & Frattaroli, S. & Appelbaum, P.S. & Bonnie, R.J. & Grilley, A. & Horwitz, J. & Swanson, J.W. & Webster, D.W., 2014. "Using research evidence to reframe the policy debate around mental illness and guns: Process and recommendations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(11), pages 22-26.
    2. Gould, Larry A. & Gould, Kristin Herke, 1992. "First-time and multiple-DWI offenders: A comparison of criminal history records and BAC levels," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 527-539.
    3. Rauch, W.J. & Zador, P.L. & Ahlin, E.M. & Howard, J.M. & Frissell, K.C. & Duncan, G.D., 2010. "Risk of alcohol-Impaired driving recidivism among first offenders and multiple offenders," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(5), pages 919-924.
    4. Wintemute, G.J. & Frattaroli, S. & Claire, B.E. & Vittes, K.A. & Webster, D.W., 2014. "Identifying armed respondents to domestic violence restraining orders and recovering their firearms: Process evaluation of an initiative in California," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(2), pages 113-118.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Moore, Kathleen A. & Harrison, Melissa & Young, M. Scott & Ochshorn, Ezra, 2008. "A cognitive therapy treatment program for repeat DUI offenders," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 539-545, November.
    2. Green, Cailyn Florence, 2023. "The impact of employment on treatment completion rates with DWI offenders," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Kafka, Julie M. & Moracco, Kathryn E. & Williams, Deanna S. & Hoffman, Claire G., 2021. "What is the role of firearms in nonfatal intimate partner violence? Findings from civil protective order case data," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    4. April M. Zeoli & Alexander D. Mccourt & Jennifer K. Paruk, 2022. "Effectiveness of Firearm Restriction, Background Checks, and Licensing Laws in Reducing Gun Violence," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 704(1), pages 118-136, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s0047235225000558. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcrimjus .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.