ASUDS-RI
The DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Risk Reduction Project was initiated through efforts of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Division of Traffic Safety. The project was created in response to concerns expressed by DUI evaluators, probation officers and judges regarding the inadequacy of the assessment instruments currently used for evaluation of DUI offenders in Illinois. Administrative rules promulgated by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse require that DUI evaluators use one of two assessment instruments (the Mortimer-Filkins Questionnaire or the Driver Risk Inventory) when making their report to the court. The ultimate goal of the Risk Reduction Project is to develop an alternative instrument to assist in earlier identification of those DUI offenders most likely to become chronic offenders. A project Work Group was formed in 2000 that included members from IDHS Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Secretary of State, the State Police, AOIC, and IDOT. Representatives also included members of the judiciary, representatives of DUI evaluation/treatment agencies, and a project consultant.
The Institute for Legal and Policy Studies, now the Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies, a unit of the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS), was asked to provide administrative and research services to the Work Group and to oversee the overall project. The Institute’s involvement began with a nationwide survey to collect copies of instruments used around the country. Through the use of interviews and focus groups, information then was collected from individuals in the field in Illinois regarding the attributes desired in an evaluation instrument. With the help of a panel of national DUI assessment experts, the instruments collected from the nationwide search were evaluated based on the list of desired attributes. The instrument with the most attributes then was chosen for further study in Illinois. This process is described in detail in The Illinois DUI Assessment Instrument Project.
The ASUDS-RI developed by Dr. Kenneth Wanberg and Dr. David Timken of Center for Addictions Research and Evaluation located in Arvada, Colorado (Copyright 2005, 2008) was selected as meeting the largest portion of Illinois’ needs. This instrument is currently mandated for use statewide in Colorado and is used in parts of Arizona, Hawaii and multiple east-coast states. The version used in Illinois has been altered to meet the needs expressed by evaluators and end-users in Illinois. UIS entered into a sub-contract with the developers of the ASUDS to incorporate additional drug use and criminal history information into the ASUDS-RI, and these additional components were finalized in the winter of 2004. The ASUDS-RI is normally self-administered in either a paper version or a computerized testing module. The computer module automatically computes the scores upon completion. The paper version can be scored by hand or the data can be entered into the computer module by the evaluator for scoring. Completion times for the ASUDS-RI ranges from 20 to 45 minutes. A Spanish paper version of the test is also available. The ASUDS-RI includes 11 scales and 6 sub-scales. The scales focus on risk areas ranging from driving risk to alcohol and drug use to mental health to defensiveness. Selected scores are then weighted and combined into a level ranging from 1 to 4, each with corresponding service suggestions. Each individual score is put into a profile based on the percentile ranking compared to the DUI offenders from a pilot study sample. For example, a score that corresponds to the 89th percentile show us that this offender scored higher on this scale than 89% of the offenders in the sample.
The ASUDS-RI (Revised for Illinois) is a self-administered assessment instrument composed of 113 questions arranged into 11 scales and 6 sub-scales. The scales are designed based on research related to DUI risk and risk prediction. Scales related to drug use and criminal history were added or modified for the Illinois version of the instrument based on the feedback received from multiple DUI constituency groups in the state.
The ASUDS-RI was pilot tested in two phases in Illinois. The first phase of the pilot consisted of selected DUI evaluators asking their clients to complete the ASUDS-RI in addition to either the Mortimer-Filkins Questionnaire or the Driver Risk Inventory. The evaluators did not score the instrument or use it in the assessment recommendations. The test was then sent to UIS along with a copy of the individual’s Uniform Report and Driving Abstract, where staff compiled the tests and collateral data for scoring and analysis. (The Uniform Report is a standardized report required by DASA, which consists of the outcomes generated from the DUI Evaluation. A Driving Abstract consists of an individual’s driving record.) The tests were also sent to Dr. Wanberg for scoring and analysis. The purpose of this phase was to validate the new test questions and produce percentile rankings for test scores based on the distribution for the Illinois offender population. For the second phase of the pilot test evaluators used the ASUDS-RI in their assessments. Data were collected through procedures similar to phase I. For further information see: The Illinois DUI Risk Reduction Project: ASUDS-RI Pilot Phase I (Statistical Summary).
Since the DUI Risk Reduction Project began, the Work Group has worked with the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to propose modification of its administrative rules to allow use of the ASUDS-RI as an approved instrument in Illinois. This discussion is on-going, but no definitive decisions have been made to date. Currently, in order to use the ASUDS-RI, licensed DUI Evaluator Facilities must attend the ASUDS-RI Training Session and receive approval of an exception from DASA to use the ASUDS-RI instead of the Mortimer-Filkins Questionnaire or the Driver Risk Inventory. For more information about the ASUDS-RI Training Program for Certified DUI Evaluators please click here http://cspl.uis.edu/ILAPS/DUIServiceProviderTraining.