Drug Involvement Among Offender Populations (From Drug Use in Metropolitan America, P 161-193, 1999, Robert M. Bray and Mary Ellen Marsden, eds. -- See NCJ-178453)

• NCJ Number: 178459
• Author(s): David Cantor
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 33 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC.

Annotation

Using data from the Adult Criminal Offenders Study and the Juvenile Offenders Study within the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Drug Study (DC*MADS), this chapter reports estimates of the proportion of offenders who use drugs and how this drug use is related to their recent offending patterns.

Abstract

To set the stage for the data from the offender studies, the chapter examines evidence of the relationship between drug use and offending behavior. This includes consideration of the nature of the relationship between drug use and crime, data on the drug- crime link, and other associated issues. The current study involved two surveys: the Adult Criminal Offenders Study and the Juvenile Offenders Study. The first survey was of adults who had been indicted of a felony, convicted of a crime, and sentenced to incarceration within the District of Columbia metropolitan statistical area. The second survey was of juveniles who were convicted of crimes and who were residing in a facility for the most serious juvenile offenders. For both surveys, a lengthy in- person interview was conducted on previous offending patterns (including the most recent crime committed) and involvement with drugs. The drug and offending data represent the 3-year period prior to incarceration. The analyses were based on 158 adult and 198 juvenile interviews, representing response rates of 81.9 percent and 75 percent respectively. Findings show that convicted offenders are heavy drug users, even shortly after they have been arrested for a crime as long as they are not in jail. Drugs also play a significant role in the commission of property and violent crimes, although to different degrees for adult and juvenile offenders. A smaller percentage of crimes was reported as being related to involvement with drugs by the juvenile offenders, and the percentages differed by whether it was a violent (21.9 percent) or property crime (10.1 percent). The findings suggest that although a relatively small percentage of the crimes committed by the adult sample can be attributed directly to drug use, a significantly larger number of crimes were at least facilitated by drug use. Limitations of the findings are discussed. 8 tables, 2 figures, and 38 references