NCJ Number
87755
Date Published
1981
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This summary of research on the alcohol use-criminal behavior relationship focuses on social-psychological aspects, and results are reviewed from a research program designed to develop multidisciplinary knowledge about the causes of crime.
Abstract
The event-based literature, usually based on the use of police records, finds that alcohol is present in substantial percentages of the personal injury offenses of homicide, forcible rape, and aggravated assault. A major weakness of most of the research, however, is its largely atheoretical nature or its failure to specify underlying theoretical positions and assumptions. This relative absence of theory in research on the relationship of drinking and crime is partly due to disciplinary boundaries and specialization. Understanding the behavioral effects of alcohol consumption involves consideration of physiological, psychological, and sociological factors. The alcohol-crime relationship is best understood by complex theoretical models from a multidisciplinary perspective, even though there is some evidence suggesting such complexity is not always appropriate. A research project undertaken by the Center for the Study of Crime Correlates and Criminal Behavior for the purpose of developing multidisciplinary knowledge about the causes of crime suggests future research that (1) compares national and State rates of alcohol consumption and violent crime at the aggregate level, (2) investigates differences in cultural norms about alcohol use and crime in one or a few communities, (3) investigates the relationship between drinking and marital violence in a survey of couples, (4) focuses on the young adult male to examine the relationship between drinking and assaultive behavior, and (5) explores the effects of setting and context on the alcohol-crime nexus.