The Effects of Underage Drinking Enforcement

JJDP's Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation (FIRE) Program supports methodologically rigorous research and evaluation studies that inform policy and practice consistent with the Department of Justice's mission. OJJDP is funding field-initiated studies to understand the factors that influence the prevention of underage drinking, the enforcement of underage drinking laws, and individuals' and communities' attitudes and behaviors about underage drinking. The FY 2012 EUDL FIRE Program is authorized by the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 112-55, 125 Stat. 552, 617.

The purpose of the Econometrica team's study is to analyze the effects of underage drinking enforcement (i.e., number of police calls-for-service, cost of incarceration, etc.) to determine the effectiveness of state agencies investments in enforcement measures and to draw a conclusion regarding the relationship between enforcement of underage drinking laws and the rate of offenses. The population served for this study is state law enforcement agencies. The following are the proposed project activities: conduct a literature review; perform an impact analysis of the enforcement policies in three states; measure the costs for the three identified law enforcement agencies; measure the benefits for the three identified law enforcement agencies; compare the costs and benefits for the three identified law enforcement agencies; and formulate conclusions and recommendations for the optimal enforcement policies in a final report.

CA/NCF