Date

12-2020

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Health, Human Services and Public Policy

Major

Collaborative Health and Human Services

First Advisor

Caitlin Stinneford

Second Advisor

Jim Raines

Abstract

Too many people operate vehicles under the influence in Santa Cruz County (SCC) because of recidivism. DUIs cost dearly in human and financial terms. Financial difficulties and stigma pose barriers to providing DUI services. Community Prevention Partners (CPP) resides under the Public Health umbrella of SCC’s Health Services Agency. This Capstone Project represents an integrated effort to increase CPP’s DUI secondary prevention efforts through its Alcohol Initiative workgroup. Through the Alcohol Initiative, CPP administers the DUI Resource Center (DUIRC), a community space to support DUI offenders around completion of their sentencing components. This project proposes to decrease the recidivism of DUI offenders through promotion of services offered at the DUIRC. Bi-lingual printed and digital promotional materials were created and disseminated to DUI related businesses and institutions throughout Santa Cruz County and through social media. The earliest numbers indicated a 41% increase in DUIRC contacts overall from June - November 2020 and that 23% of the contacts in October and November 2020 were a direct result of Capstone promotion, with a possibility that 51% of the Oct/Nov contacts were auxiliary capstone outreach related referrals through word of mouth, google searches, and outside referrals. Many opportunities for data analysis presented themselves during the capstone process. This project recommends further exploration of arrestee demographics and DUIRC client information and perhaps an expansion of the services available at the DUIRC into a hub for primary AND secondary DUI prevention.

Comments

Karena Brewington, Department of Health Human Services and Public Policy, California State University Monterey Bay. Major: Collaborative Health and Human Services, Interdisciplinary Concentration: Community Health and Social Work. This research was supported by Santa Cruz County’s Community Prevention Partners. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Karena Brewington, ℅ Mary Mason, County of Santa Cruz, 1400 Emeline Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Contact: lutinish@yahoo.com.

Share

COinS