NCJ Number
175615
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 33 Issue: 9 Dated: July 1998 Pages: 1817-1837
Date Published
1998
Length
21 pages
Annotation
A long-term research program was conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, on the drug-crime relationship, based on experiences, studies, and findings covering a 30-year period.
Abstract
The research moved from the study of the nature and correlates of drug use to the development of data-based interventions. Research topics involved many aspects of drug addiction, including the relationship between addiction status and crime rates; changes in addict behavior over time; individual variations among addicts in the type, frequency, and severity of crime; and early adolescent behavior of males who eventually became drug addicts in contrast to the behavior of their nonaddicted peers. The research specifically focused on opportunity and motivation for using drugs, changing criminal activity patterns among drug users, addict differences in illegal income and employment, vulnerability to drug addiction, social support services, correctional system interventions, and prevention and early intervention with inner-city youth. The article concludes with a description of ongoing research that principally deals with community-based interventions. 39 references and 4 notes