NCJ Number
214088
Date Published
2005
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the nature and extent of drug use, alcohol consumption, and crime problems among different key populations and examines strategies to respond to the related problems.
Abstract
It is noted that coerced drug treatment options, while helpful, are not the ultimate solution for addressing the wider problems of drug abuse and drug-related crime. Treatment should be considered as one component of a complex change system. The association between drug and alcohol use and crime has formed the basis for Britain’s recent drug, alcohol, and crime reduction strategies. Recent research on the nature and extent of drug and alcohol use in England and Wales is presented for different populations, including the overall population, young people, and among known offenders. Research is also presented on the prevalence and nature of offending among the “problem drug-using” population and on patterns of drug use and offending among criminally involved problem drug users. Taken as a whole, the research literature has formed a consensus that there is an association between drug and alcohol use and crime and there may be a causal link between some forms of drug or alcohol use and some forms of crime. The nature of these links remains elusive and the direction of the link continues to be a source of debate. Next, the authors present an overview of the theories used to explain some of the interactions between drug and alcohol use and crime and they review the effectiveness of different strategies used to reduce drug- and alcohol-related crime. Using Ekblom’s (2003) “5 Is” framework, the authors focused specifically on the effectiveness of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO), examining their rationale, implementation, development, delivery, and evaluation findings. Figure, notes, references