NCJ Number
146729
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Pages: 61-75
Date Published
1994
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes the Canton and City of Zurich in the context of changing priorities and divergent policies towards open drug scenes.
Abstract
One of the most striking peculiarities of the Swiss political strategies towards hard illegal drugs during the past 20 years was the periodic toleration by local authorities of large open drug scenes in some central areas of Swiss cities. Prominent among these was the so-called "needle park" behind the main train station in Zurich, which became famous because of mass media reporting. It must be stressed, however, that the attitude towards illegal drugs on a national level was always characterized by the political climate of repression. This article does not present an overall assessment, but discusses the question of whether the existence of open drug scenes affected the extent of street robbery and mugging in the urban center of Switzerland. The author concludes that open drug scenes within a repressive context is a costly strategy. However, these findings should not be read as evidence against liberal policies towards legalized drugs. Rather, they are evidence of the fact that the local toleration of open drug scenes within a repressive environment generates spatial mobility patterns into those places which accordingly accelerates processes of marginalization. Footnotes, figures, tables, references