NCJ Number
146281
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 73 Issue: 3 and 4 Dated: special issue (September/December 1993) Pages: 257-278
Date Published
1993
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This overview of the literature and issues presents strong empirical evidence of the statistical overlap between drug use and criminal behavior but also shows that drug use cannot be viewed as a direct and simple cause of crime.
Abstract
The link between drug use and criminal behavior has been of primary interest to researchers and practitioners for most of this century. Much of the research indicates that drug use may increase and sustain criminal behavior, although some research concludes that drug use and crime have a complex, recursive relationship and that drug use is not always directly involved in crime causation. Subcultural, role, and ecological theories suggest that drug use and crime may emerge from the same etiological variables and become an integral part of a street drug-using lifestyle and subculture. Radical theory argues that the drug-crime relationship is created by social policies that make drugs illegal. The authors argue that the radical perspective fails to recognize the complexity of the drug-crime relationship. They also indicate the need for more drug treatment and better economic opportunities within the framework of a careful review of drug policies and drug law enforcement. In addition, types of criminal behavior need to be constructed in drug-crime research. 86 references