NCJ Number
164486
Journal
British Juvenile & Family Courts Society Newsletter Dated: (July 1996) Pages: 1-4
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Following an overview of drug-related crime in the United Kingdom, this article summarizes the findings of a survey of 300 American police chiefs regarding their perceptions of the drug problems and policies in their jurisdictions.
Abstract
Based on presentations at a 1996 conference in London, this article notes that drug abuse and drug-related crime are becoming an increasing problem in Great Britain. This is followed by a summary of the publication, "Drugs and Crime Across America: Police Chiefs Speak Out" (1996). The surveyed police chiefs agree that law enforcement efforts to reduce the drug problem have not been successful and that law enforcement alone cannot solve the drug problem. Most believe that punishment as a primary strategy is inadequate and that mandatory minimum sentences have been only somewhat effective. Only 15 percent of the chiefs believe that punishment would be more effective than education, interdiction, or treatment in controlling drug problems; only 10 percent of the chiefs who have served in the narcotics division choose punishment over the other options. Only 28 percent regard low conviction rates, either for dealers or users, as key limitations in their ability to deal with drugs in their communities. By two to one, police chiefs believe that putting drug users in court- supervised treatment programs is more effective than prison or jail time. More than two-thirds of the chiefs believe it would be a mistake to cut back on Federal funding for court-supervised treatment programs. The drug strategy preferred by the chiefs would involve the full range of community institutions and would emphasize education and treatment.