House Party Law Mostly Snares Kids January 5, 2006
News Summary
A New Hampshire law designed to crack down on underage drinking in private homes has resulted in many arrests of young people but few prosecutions of adult hosts, the Manchester Union-Leader reported Dec. 30.An analysis of 44 house-party cases filed since the law took effect in April 2004 found that most of those charged were in their teens or 20s, and that three-quarters were underage drinkers. Just four arrestees were over age 30.
The law allows police to charge homeowners who knowingly allow underage youths to drink n their home. Some police said the way that the statute is written makes enforcement difficult, while others said they were unaware that the law existed.
"Hopefully the lack of cases is an indication that it's working, and not that it's not being enforced, with respect to adults," said Laconia city prosecutor Jim Sawyer. "I would hope that parents have a little bit more common sense than some 17-year-old kid."
The review also found that application of the law has been uneven across the state, with Concord police making 21 arrests while Nashua -- the state's second-largest city -- having none. In Dover -- the community that pushed hardest for the law -- police have applied the new statute just once.
"You'd think they would be using it in Dover, considering we’re the place that originated the law," said Dover high-school student Kaitlyn Reilly. A spokesperson for the Dover police department said house parties are being investigated, but "we're just using a different tool than everyone else is."
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