Effectiveness of Legal Sanctions for Individuals Addicted to Alcohol or Drugs (From Quantitative Explorations in Drug Abuse Policy, P 111-127, 1980, Irving Leveson, ed.)

• NCJ Number: 156250
• Author(s): J E Bachman; A D Witte
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: Spectrum Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

The applicability of the economic model of crime to alcoholics and drug abusers was examined using data from a random sample of 641 males who were inmates in North Carolina in 1969 or 1971.

Abstract

The activities of these men were followed for an average of 37 months; 71 percent also took part in interviews. The analysis focused on whether their decisions to commit offenses rested on rational assessments of the risks, potential costs, and potential benefits of a variety of activities. The analysis also sought to determine whether alcoholics and drug abusers differ in their decisionmaking regarding crime. Results revealed that both heavy drinkers and offenders without histories or either drug use or heavy alcohol use behaved as the economic model would predict for criminal justice sanctions, but not for legitimate opportunities. In addition, drug users behaved quite differently from the others. While the drug addicts were apparently deterred by the expected length of a prison sentence, an increase in the probability of conviction or imprisonment seemed to cause an increase in their criminal activity rather than the expected decrease. Tables, appended methodological information, and 10 references