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Environmental Approaches to Reducing Underage Drinking

NCJ Number
175436
Journal
Juvenile Justice Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 20-27
Author(s)
A J Treno; H D Holder
Date Published
1998
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes and assesses the Community Trials Project (CTP), which is designed to obstruct youths' accessibility to alcohol and increase the efficiency of drunk- driving enforcement.
Abstract
The CTP has been implemented in three communities: one in northern California, one in southern California, and one in South Carolina. Each community was matched to a comparison community within the State. The program includes a community mobilization component designed to develop community organization and support. A responsible beverage service component is designed to establish standards for servers, owners, and managers of on-premise alcohol outlets to reduce their risk of having underage customers in bars and restaurants. CTP also has a drink and driving component designed to increase the efficiency of local DWI enforcement and to increase the actual and perceived risk of detection. Another component is designed to reduce minors' access to alcohol in retail stores, and an alcohol access component uses local zoning powers and other municipal controls of outlet number and density to reduce the availability of alcohol. The evaluation of the youth access component involved an underage purchase survey of off-premise outlets. Findings suggest that although environmental approaches to the reduction of youth drinking and associated problems appear promising, more research is needed to determine how and under what circumstances desired outcomes may be attained. 27 references