NCJ Number
233556
Journal
Justice Research and Policy Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: 2008 Pages: 39-59
Date Published
2008
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether aggressive arrest policies in New York City increased the use of drug treatment programs for offenders.
Abstract
In the mid to late 1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Police Chief William Bratton focused on arresting and detaining people for crimes that contributed to a lower "quality-of-life" in New York City. This aggressive arrest policy resulted in a record growth in marijuana arrests. In 1992, the number of marijuana arrests was around 5,000. By 2000, arrests hit an all time high of about 60,000 (in both years the large majority of these arrests were for misdemeanor arrests). Through a triangulation of data sources, including the Uniform Crime Reports and the Treatment Episode Data Set from 1992 to 2003, and other published accounts, this study shows that entries into treatment for marijuana dramatically increased in New York City at the same time that misdemeanor and felony arrests for marijuana rose. While it is unclear if these arrests caused the treatment increase (vis-a-vis criminal justice referral programs), the presence of these two phenomena shows that policy regimes of increased treatment and increased law enforcement actions can coexist. The oft-heard phrase "treatment versus law enforcement" may represent a false dichotomy in drug policy analysis. References (Published Abstract)