Drugs and Crime: A Study Amongst Young People in Leicester

• NCJ Number: 166879
• Author(s): R Matthews; J Trickey
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 60 pages
• Sale Source: University of Leicester
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: DCC

Annotation

Of a sample of 768 young people in Leicester, England, just under 40 percent had been offered cannabis, 20 percent LSD, 17 percent amphetamines, and 14 percent amyl nitrite.

Abstract

Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug (29.6 percent), followed by LSD (12.1 percent), amyl nitrite (10.4 percent), and solvents (7.4 percent). Only three respondents reported trying heroin, seven used cocaine, and five used crack. Peak ages for experimenting with illicit drugs were 13 and 14 years. Of the 768 respondents, 12.8 percent experimented with one or more illicit drugs, 4.8 percent were recreational drug users and used one or more illicit drugs occasionally, and 14.5 percent were regular users and reported having used illicit drugs in the past month. Fourteen percent said they smoked cigarettes on a daily basis, while 2.2 percent reported they consumed alcohol daily. Although the number of males who had tried one or more illicit drugs on at least one occasion over the previous 12-month period was generally higher than the number of females, females reported using amphetamines, solvents, and propellant gases more frequently than males. Illicit drug use was lower in stable two- parent households than in households with a single female parent. Illicit drugs were most commonly consumed in houses of friends, on the street, in parks and playgrounds, and in local clubs. Illicit drugs were purchased with pocket money and job income. More than 70 percent of respondents said they had received some form of drug education, primarily at school rather than from parents. About 30 percent of respondents reported involvement in shoplifting, 20 percent in criminal damage, and 19 percent in stolen goods. Most respondents said they were involved in offending before they became involved in illicit drugs. Police, probation, and drug agency personnel felt that more accessible services for young people should be developed, that work with young people in local communities should be encouraged, and that agency personnel should be adequately trained. 24 tables and 3 figures