Part V: Community-Based Responses and Initiatives

Background of the Discussion

The community-based responses and initiatives group identified current practice and knowledge regarding the ways in which communities have focused on alcohol outlets and availability as a way of addressing crime related to alcohol abuse.

In contrast with some initiatives related to alcohol abuse and crime which focus upon prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation approaches directed toward individual users of alcohol, this group focused upon alcohol abuse in specific geographic areas or communities. Typically, these initiatives involve the active participation of community members and collaboration among various stakeholders including merchants, alcohol beverage control (ABC) regulatory bodies, and law enforcement. They may also use mapping techniques to identify the location of alcohol outlets in relation to the incidence and prevalence of certain types of crime as a way of defining alcohol-related crime problems.

Current Responses

The experience-based and research-based knowledge represented in the group was extensive. The group's discussions highlighted some of this knowledge, and provided an overview of the process of developing and maintaining a community-based response or initiative to address alcohol-related crime.

The members of the group examined and reviewed the problems and issues in the communities with which they were familiar that led to the creation of organized community efforts to address alcohol abuse and crime. These included alarming numbers of increasingly violent crimes, public drunkenness, extremely high rates of protective custody related to public drunkenness, high rates of alcohol outlets per capita, sales of alcohol to minors and intoxicated persons, frequent instances of driving under the influence, a lack of community and police cooperation, a lack of an ability to control the issuance of alcohol beverage distribution permits, cultural discrimination, a lack of treatment programs (particularly for women and adolescents), and widespread unemployment.

There was some discussion regarding the extent to which problems and the solutions to them vary across communities. Some members of the group felt that the problems--especially related to alcohol distribution--were quite similar from community to community, and that the models for successful intervention were well-documented and well-known. Other members of the group felt that the problems were quite different from community to community and that there were different solutions appropriate to those different communities--probably with some common elements.

There did seem to be agreement, however, that there is a common "process" across communities that could be emulated in a wide range of situations and settings. This process includes bringing key stakeholders to the table to collaborate on problem definition and the development of solutions; the use of the alcohol beverage control (ABC) regulatory mechanism as a crime prevention tool; the use of data--particularly mapping of alcohol outlets and crime--as a powerful tool in defining problems and solutions; and ways of ensuring substantive community involvement. There also seemed to be consensus in the group that the following stakeholders should always be included in the development process of any community-based response or initiative: law enforcement; alcoholic beverage control agencies; hospitality industry members; alcohol producers, wholesalers, and retailers; neighborhood representatives; local elected officials from all affected jurisdictions; crime analysts; and researchers.

Some of the specific responses and tools that the communities represented in the group developed as parts of their overall solutions include: the closing of selected alcohol outlets on Sundays, the strict enforcement of alcoholic beverage control regulations, sobriety checkpoints, victim impact panels, community policing, linking the efforts of police and state alcohol beverage control agencies, the closing of drive-up alcohol outlets, and an increase in alcohol excise taxes.

There is extensive documentation of these responses in the literature, including the evaluations of community prevention trials funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and in the efforts of the Partnership for Responsible Hospitality. The NAPRH is a voluntary alliance of trade and professional associations, government agencies, and related organizations developing safe communities and healthy businesses through the promotion of responsible hospitality principles and practices. Members are united by the common goals of providing information, sharing resources, and serving as models for states and local communities creating similar alliances.

Targets for Change

When asked to summarize the major issues that they were addressing, the members of the group identified the following:

• The reduction of alcohol-related crime at the community level is an achievable goal;
• Communities should be/must be empowered to act to reduce alcohol-related crime, particularly with respect to the regulation of alcohol outlets and advertising; and
• Communities need information about what works.

While the group agreed that there is a good deal of experience and knowledge to build upon in this area, they identified several issues and problems that their recommendations would address. These include:

• The need to document, evaluate, and research current community-based efforts so that other communities can build upon what has already been learned;
• The need to institutionalize the innovations that have emerged in communities working on these issues; and
• The need to change community norms to reinforce prevention efforts at the community level.

Recommendations

The group developed a set of recommendations that reflect participants' judgements about actions that the Office of Justice Programs might take to further the goal of substantive community involvement in addressing crime that is related to alcohol abuse. The recommendations fell into several areas:

• Advice about "What Works;"
• Program Initiatives;
• Research, Evaluation, and Knowledge Dissemination;
• Training;
• Technical Assistance;
• Economic Strategies;
• Funding; and
• Leadership.

Advice About "What Works"

As a prelude to the recommendations about the specific actions which OJP might wish to pursue, the group discussed the lessons that had emerged from their own experiences, and what they would like to communicate to OJP and other participants at the symposium. Taken together, this experience provides advice to OJP about how and why community initiatives can begin to prevent alcohol-related crime and its consequences.

The group used the specific lessons they have learned from their own experiences as the basis for their recommendations in this section.

• State (and local) alcoholic beverage control agencies can be seen and used as instruments for crime prevention.
• Partnerships across organizational lines at all levels--local, state, national and in Indian Country--are important to all effective efforts.
• At the community level, residents, law enforcement, alcoholic beverage control enforcement, local retailers, members of the hospitality industry, and others must work together to define problems and develop solutions.
• Community-based efforts that are culturally and gender sensitive and competent are essential.
• Community-based efforts that allow communities to assess their own individual needs and to create plans to address those needs are essential.
• The alcohol industry--manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers--should be encouraged to be part of the dialogue on this issue and to be part of efforts to address the problem.
• The use of crime mapping technology can be helpful to alcoholic beverage control agencies where licensing commissions are willing to limit the number and size of alcohol outlets.
• The practical experiences offered by this work group are very valuable. The initiatives and responses about which they are familiar are representative of some of the best solutions that exist for an array of alcohol-related crime problems. The development, implementation, and evaluation of new community responses and initiatives must be based upon model programs and new research.

Program Initiatives

A large number of recommendations offered to OJP by this group relate to specific program initiatives which OJP might support through its funding, program design, and knowledge dissemination activities.

• The participants felt that OJP should under take community-based initiatives that empower local communities to focus on alcohol availability, advertising, and driving under the influence of alcohol. These initiatives must be sensitive to issues of culture and gender, and should be based upon research and science. The participants emphasized that all initiatives should include multiple stakeholders (i.e., community residents, law enforcement, alcohol beverage control regulatory bodies, retailers, researchers, etc.).

• One way to view community initiatives in this area is as attempts to change the culture of communities regarding alcohol use. Because such change takes place gradually, it is not always possible for OJP-funded initiatives to be planned, developed, implemented, and evaluated during a single federal funding cycle. The participants encouraged OJP to consider ways in which it might support change over time, perhaps by sequential funding of the phases of such an effort to allow for planning, community education, implementation, and evaluation.
• State legislatures and alcohol beverage control regulatory bodies should be encouraged to support model programs and empower communities to more effectively regulate alcohol sales, advertising, and availability.
• OJP should undertake such an initiative(s) in Indian Country that provide for tribal involvement and is designed to competently address the cultural dimensions of alcohol abuse in Indian Country.
• More rehabilitation resources should be available for communities.
• Fund longer term, comprehensive treatment services that are proven by research to be effective.
• Place initiatives firmly in the contexts that this group highlighted--poverty, cultural discrimination, and racism.
• Fund local communities in order to address the possible over-concentration of alcohol outlets in high crime areas.
• Communities should focus upon offering alternatives to alcohol use that would meet community needs as alcohol use and related crime decrease (i.e., sports programs for young people, respite care for parents, etc.).
• Conduct a community-based initiative within the context of a multi-site urban neighborhood demonstration/evaluation project.
• Characteristics of an effort to develop and increase the effectiveness of community-based initiatives include:

• Weaving research on current community programs into ongoing, related, and new initiatives in communities;

• Allowing a one year to 18 month planning period to involve stakeholders;

• Identifying high risk areas in the United States through a review of the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-related crimes;

• Identifying existing community coalitions in those high risk areas;

• Supporting the development of community coalitions where none exist and their continuation where they do exist; and

• Supporting regional forums on alcohol and crime on an annual basis.

Training

The group made several recommendations regarding OJP's support of training efforts.

• Train interested court officials on options for promoting effective community programs.
• Train interested court/community officials to increase community awareness of alcohol-related crime problems.
• Include an emphasis on alcohol issues in the design of all criminal justice training (i.e., police, corrections, etc.) sponsored by OJP.
• Provide training and direction to law enforcement with the goal of effectively partnering with alcoholic beverage control agencies on enforcement issues.

Technical Assistance

The group offered two recommendations involving how technical assistance might be used to further OJP's activities in this area.

• Provide culturally sensitive technical assistance to communities who are working to reduce alcohol-related crime.
• Provide technical assistance to communities who are interested in promoting the closing of problem liquor outlets (or limit proliferation of outlets) and in banning liquor billboards that might be seen by young people.