NCJ Number
162734
Journal
Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate Research Bulletin Issue: 38 Dated: (1996) Pages: 37-43
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The relationship between alcohol and crime is considered to be complex, and appropriate strategies for reducing alcohol- related violence in Great Britain are discussed.
Abstract
Alcohol consumption is sometimes a prelude to violence, and the recent focus on links between illicit drugs and acquisitive crime has prompted new interest in the question of whether the need to raise money to buy alcohol causes some people to turn to acquisitive crime. In particular, the effect of beer consumption on violence against the person has three possible explanations: (1) beer drinking physiologically predisposes people to commit violent crimes or to provoke their own victimization; (2) beer drinking is associated with a certain lifestyle involving pubs and clubs which in turn is linked to violent crime; and (3) combination of physiological and social explanations. Strategies to minimize the harm associated with excessive drinking, especially by young men in pubs and clubs, include the following: promote the sale of low alcohol or nonalcoholic drinks; tax drinks more precisely according to their total alcohol content; impose stricter controls on the advertising of relatively strong alcohol aimed at young people; conduct health promotion campaigns designed specifically to target binge drinking by young men; control underage drinking; encourage regular police visits to licensed premises associated with troublesome behavior; and promote responsible management practices by licensees. A victimization perspective on the alcohol-crime relationship is presented, and practical implications of research on alcohol and violence are examined. 16 references