NCJ Number
179195
Date Published
1999
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper first examines the utility of Australia's national statistical collections for collecting data pertinent to the link between drugs and criminal activity and then focuses on national specialized collections; it then suggests ways to build upon current research collections to enhance the capacity of policymakers at all governmental levels to address the problem of drugs and criminal activity.
Abstract
The critique of national statistical collections encompasses police data, national crime statistics, court statistics, the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, the National Minimum Treatment Census, and the National Prison Census. The consideration of specialized collections addresses crime and safety surveys, National Drug Strategy surveys, school surveys, the Illicit Drug Reporting System, and Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA). The paper advises that an understanding of the links between illicit drug use and crime requires data obtained through more specialized collections and the adaptation of these to policy purposes. In addition, a long-term commitment is required to a few, but appropriately funded, specialized collections that are adaptable and stable monitoring systems. The paper offers suggestions for adapting specialized collections to provide relevant data for policy purposes. From a policy perspective, better data on self-reported involvement in criminal and drug activities at both population level and among youth are required. The paper further advises that detailed information on criminal offending and the role of illicit drug use will come from the DUMA system, which allows a clearer focus on the link between criminal activity and illicit drug use, as well as enabling evaluation of local law enforcement initiatives. 2 tables