NCJ Number
156636
Journal
Contemporary Drug Problems Dated: (Winter 1979) Pages: 455-473
Date Published
1979
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study of the relationship between female heroin use and the users' involvement in prostitution was based on data collected through interviews with 153 active female heroin users living in the Miami area; the subjects were questioned about their criminal and arrest histories during the previous 12 months.
Abstract
The results cast doubt on the stereotypical depiction of female heroin users as prostitutes. While more than 70 percent of the respondents reported involvement in at least one act of prostitution over the previous 12 months, only 37 percent of the 55,790 offenses reported during that period were acts of prostitution. The data indicate that, while female heroin users may engage in prostitution, they also participate in many other criminal activities, and prostitution may not constitute as significant a source of support as has been commonly assumed. There were also differences in criminal involvement between heroin users who were and who were not prostitutes; criminal activity seemed to correspond to degree of involvement in prostitution. 6 tables and 16 notes