NCJ Number
79381
Journal
Criminology Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (August 1981) Pages: 281-302
Date Published
1981
Length
22 pages
Annotation
The ecological perspective as an explanation of criminal and drug-using behavior is examined, and data from a pilot study on the areal distribution of crime and drugs are presented.
Abstract
The ecological perspective suggests that crime and drug use are related because they are both spatially distributed in the same types of neighborhoods and are both a function of the same social variables. An examination of the historical literature on ecology, criminology, and drug abuse, as well as empirical findings, tends to indicate the importance and potential utility of using the ecological perspective in understanding the crime-drug relationship. A 1978 pilot study undertook an ecological analysis of criminal and drug-using behavior in Dade County, Fla. This was done by comparing the census tract distribution of these three groups to assess the commonality of the distribution and to measure the correlation between the distributions. The rationale is that if criminals and drug users are drawn from the same populations and environments, then they should be similarly distributed in the neighborhoods of the community. Findings suggest that both narcotics users and persons engaged in property crime but not narcotics use, as well as persons engaged in both, are drawn not only from the same types of areas but the same neighborhoods. The same implication, though not quite so strong, exists for narcotics use and crimes against persons. Implications of these findings for research and intervention and treatment policy are discussed. Tabular data and 51 references are provided.