Book Review: J. A. Lewis A Zero-Tolerance Juvenile Alcohol Law: Why Legislation Won’t Work El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2009. xii, 174 pp. $60.00. ISBN 978-1-59332-367-7

• DOI: 10.1177/0734016810383833
• Author: Tiffiney Barfield-Cottledge
• Published date: 01 June 2011
• Date: 01 June 2011
• Subject Matter: Articles

The killer of two young girls was undone when police took blood and saliva samples from a large

segment of the male population of two British towns. Pitchfork confessed when it was discovered that

he had convinced a stand-in named Kelly to provide samples for Pitchfork.

Steps in the DNA revolution are concisely tracedin Kaye’s ‘‘Timelineof Selected Developments.’’

Contained there is the date of the first conviction exonerated in the United States by DNA, 1989.

Another entry, References, collects a comprehensive list of sources. Included are the titles of works

by respected writers on scientific evidence including Imwinkelried, Faigman, Gianelli, Scheck, and

others. Finally, for the reader interested in locating the leading authority in her state, there is a table

of cases and statutes.

The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence is not always an easy read. Some discussions of DNA

science seem suited for a classroom seminar on advanced genetics. This sentence from the mito-

chondrial DNA chapter will perhaps illustrate: ‘‘‘Reading’[a DNA fragment] in reverse order, it will

start with an A to match the T at the far end of the target, then become a GA that complements the

CT, and then grow to become the CGA, a TCGA, a GTCGA, a TGTCGA, and finally a TTGTGA.’’

But what might put off a casual reader could be compelling to a scientist or an aspiring geneticist.

In addition to the need for scientists as well as lawyers to have DNA knowledge, judges today are

called upon to assemble technical information about matters that come within their jurisdiction.

DNA is increasingly present in the courtroom, and guidance is needed. Trial or postconviction hear-

ings involving DNA issues will be favorably informed by the Kaye book. Judges and their clerks will

find it a valuable source when performing the gatekeeping function imposed on our trial courts.

J. A. Lewis

A Zero-Tolerance Juvenile Alcohol Law: Why Legislation Won’t Work El Paso,

TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2009. xii, 174 pp. $60.00. ISBN 978-1-59332-367-7

Reviewed by: Tiffiney Barfield-Cottledge, University of North Texas at Dallas, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016810383833

Juvenile alcohol-related driving violations and fatalities are a prevalent social concern. Recently,

there has been increased proliferation of the literature focusing on the relationship between zero-

tolerance juvenile alcohol laws and their intended purpose of decreasing juvenile alcohol-related

driving violations and fatalities. Lewis’s book is a riveting examination of zero-tolerance alcohol

laws and their effectiveness and therefore, challenges society to make new connections between

laws and practical application guided by the empirical data.

Lewis’s ‘‘A-Zero-Tolerance Juvenile Alcohol Law: Why Legislation Won’t Work’’ consists of

five detailed chapters, is well organized, current and complete with tables, figures, appendices, and

references. In this edited book, Lewis provides both a historical backdrop as well as a current

portrayal of juvenile alcohol laws and their ability to significantly reduce juvenile alcohol driving

incidents and fatalities. While the literature appears split, A-Zero-Tolerance Juvenile Alcohol Law:

Why Legislation Won’t Work, proves to be an insightful argument into the deterrent effect or the lack

thereof of federally mandated juvenile alcohol laws.

The context of this text is grounded in Beccaria’s 1764 deterrence theory postulating that for laws

to deter, punishment must be swift, certain, and severe. Chapter 1, ‘‘DUI Laws: Risk Reduction or

Risk Enhancement,’’ sets the stage for competing arguments regarding the effectiveness of juvenile

legislation and policies. Lewis provides a thorough literature review of laws and federal mandates

that suggest concern with a deterrent effect that has yet to be realized.

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