ALCOHOL AND CRIME IN VETERANS (FROM COLLOQUIUM ON THE CORRELATES OF CRIME AND THE DETERMINANTS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, 1978, BY LAURA OTTEN - SEE NCJ-53455)

• NCJ Number: 53465
• Author(s): L N ROBINS; M HESSELBROCK; E D WISH; J E HELZER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: Mitre Corporation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

A SAMPLE OF 571 VIETNAM ERA VETERANS AND A CONTROL GROUP OF 284 NONVETERANS WERE INTERVIEWED ABOUT THEIR ARREST RECORDS AND DRINKING HABITS IN AN EFFORT TO LINK ALCOHOL USE OR ABUSE WITH CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

OF THE VETERAN SAMPLE, 23 PERCENT REPORTED HAVING BEEN ARRESTED IN THE 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW; 16 PERCENT WERE CONVICTED; AND 15 PERCENT ADMITTED TO SPENDING SOME TIME IN JAIL, EITHER PRIOR TO OR AFTER SENTENCING. CONDUCT CRIME, PARTICULARLY THOSE RELATED TO DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE, WERE THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF THE ARRESTS, WHILE PROPERTY AND VIOLENT CRIMES ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT 6 PERCENT. RATES OF ARREST FOR ALCOHOL, DRUGS, AND PROPERTY OFFENSES AND CONVICTIONS BASED ON THESE ARRESTS WERE HIGHER IN THE VETERAN SAMPLE THAN IN THE MATCHED NONVETERAN GROUP. HOWEVER, THESE FINDINGS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTS OF MILITARY SERVICE, FOR DESPITE EFFORTS TO MATCH THE TWO GROUPS FOR AGE, EDUCATION, AND PLACE OF REARING, NONVETERANS WERE OF A HIGHER STATUS OF ORIGIN AND HAD BEEN LESS DELINQUENT AS YOUTHS. AS FOR THE DRINKING LEVELS AND TYPES OF DRINKING PROBLEMS OF THE TWO GROUPS, 15 PERCENT OF THE VETERANS REPORTED PERIODS OF HEAVY DAILY DRINKING AND ANOTHER THIRD ADMITTED HEAVY INTERMITTENT DRINKING. ALMOST HALF OF THE VETERANS CLAIMED SOME SORT OF DRINKING PROBLEM, WHILE AMONG THE NONVETERANS THE RATE OF POTENTIAL ALCOHOLISM WAS ABOUT HALF THE REPORTED VETERAN RATE. AS FOR THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DRINKING AND CRIME, FOR BOTH THE VETERANS AND NONVETERANS, DAILY HEAVY DRINKERS HAD MORE ARRESTS AND MORE MULTIPLE ARRESTS THAN DID OTHERS. ALMOST HALF OF THE DAILY HEAVY DRINKING VETERANS AND ONE-THIRD OF THE DAILY HEAVY DRINKING NONVETERANS HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN THE 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW. CROSS-COMPARISONS OF THESE DATA WITH EARLY JUVENILE RECORDS FOR BOTH GROUPS REVEALED THAT HEAVY DRINKING IS OFTEN A PART OF A BROAD COMPLEX OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR WHICH HAS ITS ROOTS IN CHILDHOOD, AND WHICH IS EXPRESSED IN YOUNG ADULTS AS HEAVY DRINKING, USE OF ILLICIT DRUGS, THEFT, FIGHTING, AND OTHER BEHAVIOR LEADING TO ARREST. WHEN HEAVY DRINKING IS NOT PART OF THIS CONSTELLATION OF EARLY DEVIANCE, IT RARELY LEADS TO ARREST. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)