Drug Disorder, Mental Illness, and Violence (From Drugs and Violence: Causes, Correlates, and Consequences, P 222-238, 1990, Mario De La Rosa, Elizabeth Y Lambert, Bernard Gropper, eds. -- See NCJ-128781)

• NCJ Number: 128792
• Author(s): K M Abram; L A Teplin
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): 87-IJ-CX-0033; MH37988
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); National Institute of Mental Health; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services; Superintendent of Documents
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Information from 728 males detained in jail in Chicago between November 1983 and November 1984 formed the basis of an analysis of the relationships among mental illness, drug use, and violent crime.

Abstract

The participants were randomly selected from pretrial arraignment, stratified by the type of charge to include half misdemeanants and half felons. Data were gathered through interviews that lasted 1 to 3 hours and that were conducted by clinical psychologists. Standard diagnostic criteria were used to determine drug and psychiatric disorders. Findings showed that individuals assessed as having antisocial personality disorders, with or without drug-use problems, were more likely to be involved in violent crimes than those who had a drug or alcohol problem but did not have antisocial personality disorders. Therefore, persons with drug abuse problems are not necessarily more likely than other offenders to commit violent acts. However, drug-disordered detainees who also meet criteria for antisocial personality disorder are particularly at risk for committing violent crime. Tables and 55 references