Drug Use and Crime Rate

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Conclusively. There is no doubt that there is a connection between drug use and crime rate. The relation is also present among teenagers; as Akers points out, “compared to the abstaining teenager, the drinking, smoking and drug-taking teen is much more likely to get into fights, steal, hurt other people and commit other delinquencies” (Cordella & Siegel, 1996). At a surface level, drug use and crime rates are connected as it is a criminal offense to have certain substances unlawfully; however, when looking further, studies have found drugs to bring about, impact or be related to criminal conduct. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin together with drug addiction are associated to wrongdoing in various ways. The outcomes of substance abuse involve aggression, theft to get cash to purchase drugs, and violence against other traffickers which influence the general public consistently. In U.S, the crime rate has been steadily increasing. The three theoretical models introduced by Goldstein bolsters the notion that there is an association between crime rates and drug use. Research from various government organizations additionally supports that there is a connection between the two. Not every crime in the country is related to substance abuse, but by examining the evidence, we can conclude that there is indeed a connection between drug abuse and crime rates.

References

Alexander, M., & McCaslin, C. (1974). Criminality in Heroin Addicts Before, uring, and After Methadone Treatment. Baltimore: CDC.

Baron, S. (2003). Self Control, Social Consequences, and Criminal Behavior: Street Youth and the General Theory of Crime. Journal of Research in Crime and Deliquency.

Cordella, P., & Siegel, L. (1996). Readings in Contemporary Criminological Theory. UPNE.

Drugs and Crime Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bureau of Justice Statistics: https://www.bjs.gov/content/dcf/duc.cfm

Goldstein, P. (1985). The Drugs/Violence Nexus: A Trpartite Conceptual framework. Journal of Drug Issues, 143-174.

Golub, A. (2005). The Variation in Arrestees' Disclosure of Recent Drug Use Across Locations, Drugs, and Demographic Characteristics. Journal of Drug Issues, 917-940.

Pokhrel, P., Sussman, S., & Rohrbach, L. A. (2007). Prospective associations of social self-control with drug use among youth from regular and alternative high schools. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 1-8.

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