NCJ Number
162794
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 31 Issue: 7 Dated: (1996) Pages: 825-845
Date Published
1996
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Interviews with 215 female homicide offenders incarcerated or on parole in New York formed the basis of an analysis of the offenders' drug use before and at the time of the homicide, their victims' drug use, and their perceptions regarding the link between drugs and the crimes.
Abstract
The sample included the women who were available and agreed to participate from among all the women incarcerated for murder and manslaughter who resided in a New York State prison between April 1992 and May 1993, who were incarcerated for those crimes over the next 12 months, and who were on active parole supervision for those crimes in New York City during winter and spring 1993. Results revealed that approximately 7 of 10 participants had been regular users of some drug at some point in their lives prior to their incarceration; more than half had been addicted to a drug. More than one-third of the participants who were present at the scene were high on a drug at the time, while about half the victims of these homicides used drugs before the homicide. Almost two-thirds of the homicides committed by participants who were present at the scene were perceived to be drug-related. Alcohol, crack, and powdered cocaine were the drugs most likely to be related to these homicides. Tables and 25 references (Author abstract modified)