NCJ Number
146057
Date Published
1992
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This exploratory project, based on a national telephone survey of officials in the 50 largest cities, statutory analysis, five site visits, and resident and landlord interviews, looked at how drug control laws are fashioned and used across the United States.
Abstract
Project findings revealed a variety of criminal and civil State statutes, laws, and local ordinances available to help communities eliminate drug houses in the private sector. Many communities used these statutes in innovative and creative ways. Of the five sites visited (Milwaukee; Houston; San Francisco; Alexandria, Virginia; and Toledo, Ohio), all reported successes in ridding neighborhoods of drug houses. Residents in neighborhoods where a drug house was targeted for abatement action often knew of the city's efforts and felt that abatement action reduced the drug problem. Many landlords targeted by abatement action were surprisingly supportive of such action and were willing to take the steps necessary to stop drug dealing in their buildings, even at great personal cost to them. Most landlords, however, preferred a more cooperative approach from the city and better communication about the problem prior to official abatement action. Resources appeared to represent a key factor in aggressive drug control efforts in the cities. Lack of resources restricted the use of available statutes and ordinances and limited followup efforts to monitor compliance with abatement action. Drug-specific laws empowering government officials to deal with drug houses generally involved nuisance abatement, illegal establishment, and forfeiture statutes. An appendix contains a State-by-State analysis of drug