Section B

Table of Contents

Supporting Statement

Justification

B.1 Describe the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection to be used.

B.2 Describe the procedures for the collection of information.

B.3 Describe methods to maximize response rates.

B.4 Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.

B.5 Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design.

Supporting Statement

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

No statistical methods will be used. All data collection will be based on a 100% sample of the inference population. In all reports and other publications and statements resulting from this work, no attempt will be made to draw inferences to any population other than the set of units that responded to the data collection effort.

B.1. Describe the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection to be used.

The respondent universe will be all DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts (a Drug Court that also takes DWI offenders) operating at the time of survey administration. As of December 2011, there were 192 designated DWI Courts and another 406 Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts according to data from the National Center for DWI Courts or NCDC (a professional services division of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, or NADCP).¹ The total number of these Courts is projected to approach 650 at the time the survey is expected to be fielded. NHTSA will obtain a list of all active DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts from the NADCP/NCDC. The NADCP is the national organization representing Drug Court, DWI Court, and other problem-solving court professionals. The organization has gathered the list through cooperation and its relationships with Court personnel.

NHTSA will mail a request to all DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts asking that they go to a Website to participate in the survey. NHTSA will send a second mailing, possibly augmented by e-mail, to those Courts that did not submit a completed survey within several weeks of their having received the initial request to participate. This will be a reminder that reiterates the support of the NADCP/NCDC.

B.2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information.

NHTSA began with the questionnaire used by the National Institute of Justice during its Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation as a starting template for development of the data collection instrument for the DWI Court Survey. NHTSA staff adapted the questionnaire to the DWI Court Survey based on in-house expertise, the Guiding Principles issued by the NCDC, and points raised during the workshop described in Section A.1. After several iterations, the questionnaire was distributed to experts from within and outside the Federal government who attended the workshop, as well as to the NCDC. Once comments were received, the questionnaire was revised and finalized.

NHTSA has designed the survey to be administered entirely through a Website developed by a NHTSA Contractor. The final questionnaire will be programmed into the Website, accompanied by instructions and assistance tools.

NHTSA will obtain contact information for the DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts from the NADCP/NCDC. NHTSA will mail a request to all Courts on the list requesting that they participate in the survey. The request will direct the recipients to the Website, and provide a source to contact if they have questions about the survey. NHTSA will send a follow up mailing, possibly augmented by e-mail, several weeks later as a reminder to those Courts that have not as yet responded.

Representatives from the Courts will enter the Website, access the questionnaire, and type in their information. Each Court will have its own unique PIN for accessing the questionnaire. The PIN will be provided in the contact letter. The Courts will only be able to view information entered using their own randomly generated PIN.

The NHTSA Contractor will monitor the functioning of the Website, address operational problems if they arise, and respond to any questions submitted by the representatives from the Courts. After the conclusion of the field period, the NHTSA Contractor will submit a database to NHTSA containing all the information entered by the Courts.

B.3. Describe methods to maximize response rates.

Due to the number of survey requests they receive, many Drug and DWI Courts now feel “over-surveyed” and as a result are resistant to further efforts. Additionally, many of the Courts must get approval of State agencies/individuals, e.g., the Drug Court Coordinator for the State, in order to provide any information. Based on previous efforts by other entities, the response of DWI/Drug Courts to a requested survey will be minimal unless the NADCP is closely involved in the effort. The NADCP/NCDC has agreed to provide such support to NHTSA.

The NADCP/NCDC will contact the State Drug Court Coordinators prior to any contact of DWI Courts to get approval from the Coordinators for direct contact with the Courts and to get “buy-in” of the NHTSA survey effort. The NADCP/NCDC will then contact the DWI Courts (before NHTSA sends out any communication) to advise them of the pending survey request. The NADCP/NCDC will engage in follow-up contact with the Coordinators after NHTSA has sent out the survey request asking the Coordinators to encourage the Courts to complete the survey. Lastly, the NADCP/NCDC will follow-up with the DWI Courts to request that they complete the survey. This multi-step strategy will be the critical element in achieving the high response expected.

Responding will also be maximized by designing the Web site so that it is easy to complete the survey. NHTSA has particularly focused on this aspect through requirements it has inserted into the Contract that will be awarded to the NHTSA Contractor. These include applying principles of visual heuristics in visually laying out the questions, structuring the site so that there is easy navigation from page to page, having user assistance tools, and inserting placeholders that allow the respondent to pause and leave the system without losing what was entered and then re-enter at the point of departure.

B.4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.

The Web site will undergo extensive development and testing prior to going live. The NHTSA Contractor will develop an alpha version of the Web site that will be provided to NHTSA for review. Results of the review will be incorporated into design of a beta version of the Web site, which will be tested for functioning and operational ease. NHTSA staff will participate directly in the testing. NHTSA will also ask one or more Court professionals to test the functioning of the site.

B.5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design

The following individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the study design:

Alan Block, MA
Office of Behavioral Safety Research
DOT/National Highway Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
(202) 366-6401

1 Retrieved from http://www.dwicourts.org/learn/about-dwi-court/what-dwi-court on January 22, 2013.

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