NCJ Number
228014
Date Published
January 2009
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Using a study sample composed of all offenders 15 years old or older who were charged with and convicted of any offense in a New South Wales (Australia) adult or juvenile court in 2005 (99,566), this study determined whether an offender previously charged with an amphetamine offense was at increased risk for being subsequently charged with a violent offense.
Abstract
The main drug-related finding was that offenders convicted of a prior drug charge that did not involve amphetamine were at a moderately greater risk of having a future violent drug charge compared with offenders who had no prior drug charges; however, this increased risk was not found for offenders with prior amphetamine drug charges, or for offenders with both prior amphetamine and non-amphetamine drug charges. The groups of offenders for whom prior nonamphetamine drug charges did not increase the risk for a future violent charge included offenders 15 to 21 years old who were female, were Indigenous, or had prior violent charges. This suggests that prior drug charges did not add any cumulative risk of a future violent charge among offender groups who were already at high risk of a future violent charge based on other predictors. Out of all the possible predictors of a future charge for a violent offense, the strongest predictor was having a greater number of charges for nonviolent/nondrug offenses. The odds of having a future charge for a violent offense were over four times greater for a convicted offender with six or more prior nonviolent/nondrug charges compared with an offender with no prior nonviolent/nondrug charges. Offenders with a prior charge for a violent offense had twice the odds of receiving a future violent charge compared with those having no prior charges for violent offenses. 6 tables and 12 references