Download Drugs and Crime

Drugs and Crime
Policy
Drug use and crime
► Psychoactive
drugs: alter conscious
awareness or perception
► Psychological dependency: person craves a
drug
► Physiological addiction: body becomes
biochemically dependent on a drug
► Tolerance: greater doses are necessary to
produce the same effect
Drugs & crime
► Withdrawal:
physical and psychological
symptoms which develop in an addicted
person when he or she abruptly stops or
reduces intake of a drug
► Central nervous system depressants:
remove social inhibitions, relieve anxiety,
impair judgment. Include alcohol,
barbiturates and minor tranquilizers
Drugs and crime:
Pharmacological classification
► Central
nervous system stimulants:
addiction possible, stimulates alertness,
wakefulness, euphoria; includes
amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine and
cocaine and its derivatives (crack, ice)
► Hallucinogens: non-addicting; effects
include hallucinations, sense of timelessness
& mystical insights; LSD, mescaline,
psilocybin
Drugs and crime
► Narcotics:
highly addicting, acts as an
analgesic, euphoria; includes morphine,
heroin, codeine and Demerol
► Phencyclidine (PCP): not addicting; causes
mental confusion, unfocused aggression,
pain relief
► Marijuana: not addicting, dose dependent
effects
Legal classification of drugs
► Drugs
classified from Schedule I Drugs to
Schedule V, with I the most restricted and V
the least restricted
► Classified based on: (1) medical usage; and
(2) potential for abuse
► Note that alcohol is not included, yet if it
were to be classified, it should be a
Schedule I drug
Legal classification
► Schedule
1: high
abuse potential, lack
therapeutic utility and
safety
► II: high abuse
potential, but currently
accepted for medical
practice
► Heroin,
LSD, peyote,
PCP, mescaline
► Opium,
cocaine,
morphine, benzedrine,
methadone,
amphetamines
Legal
► Moderate
abuse
potential, utilized in
medical practice
► IV: low abuse
potential
► V: minimal abuse
potential, currently
used in medical
practice
► Barbituates,
amphetamines
► Darvon,
phenobarbitol,
valium
► Cough medicines with
small amounts of
narcotics
Substance abuse and criminality
► Clear
link between drug use and criminality
► Alcohol
► Prison inmates 3 times as likely as other
males the same age to drink 2+ oz. of
liquor per day
► 25% indicated they had got drunk and hurt
someone during last 3 years
Drugs and crime
► Alcohol
involved in 2/3 of homicides in a
Philadelphia study, about 40% of rape cases
► about 75% of arrestees have traces of
illegal drugs in their systems (DUF studies)
► In a study of CA inmates, over 40%
reported using “heavy drugs” in the last 3
years
Drugs and crime
► Heroin
and crack have been most associated
with chronic serious offenders
► Hypotheses
► 1. Psychopharmacological: drugs
contribute to crime by reducing inhibitions
(alcohol) or stimulating aggressive behavior
(stimulants)
Drugs and Crime
► Economic
Compulsivity hypothesis:
Addiction to substances contribute to crime
to support a habit.
► Studies of junkies have indicated that many
commit crimes to obtain drugs
► Lifestyle hypothesis: Offenders both use
drugs and commit crimes as part of a
lifestyle
Drugs and crime
► Studies
have found that some individuals
commit crimes after becoming addicted
(economic)
► Studies have also found that many abusers
were committing crimes before beginning
drug usage. During periods of addiction,
crimes tended to increase considerably,
referred to as “on a run.”
Drugs and crime
► For
the latter group, decrease in substance
abuse was associated with a decrease, but
not stopping, criminal activity
► For a number of offenders, then, stopping
drug use will not stop their criminal
behavior, although crimes may decrease
Drugs and crime
► Drugs
may also contribute to crime by
adding to social disorder
► Encouraging illegal activities on the part of
those already inclined to violence
Policies
► Reducing
drunkenness through increased
taxation and cultural discouragement
► Forbidding alcohol in public places to the
convicted (perhaps through an altered
driver’s license)
► Legalization of marijuana
► Reduce volume of serious drugs (cocaine,
methamphetamine, heroin)
Policies
► Making
treatment more readily available
► Targeting higher level drug dealers
► Long sentences for minor dealers takes up
prison cells
► Police tactics focussing on blatant drug
dealing (reducing disorder)
► More effective use of probation and parole
► Use of methadone