Drugs are involved where there is criminal activity but which came first, the drug use or the crime? Most citizens of the United States believe, without a doubt, that consuming mind-altering substances will increase the user's desire to commit crime. This is common idea because of the fact that crime and drugs are often found in the same situations. When reading or watching the news it is not surprising to hear about police officials finding drugs upon arresting some one for a violent crime.
In "Research on Drugs- Crime Linkages: The Next Generation", the researchers present the many studies performed to investigate the relationship between crime rates and drug use. The authors refer to Goldstein's Framework, a conceptual essay by Paul Goldstein. The purpose of the Framework is to evaluate and understand the relationship between drugs and criminal behavior. Based on many studies throughout New York, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, and other cities with greater drug problems, it was concluded that alcohol, cocaine, and crack cocaine are the main contributors to the drug related crime. The crack cocaine boom in the 1980's lead to an increase and crime and many studies confirm that alcohol "stimulates or augments a great deal of criminal behavior, almost certainly more than the street drugs combined". Many drugs cause people to behave recklessly and the ease at which people are able to access these substances leads to crime such as robbery, assault, and murder.
Another article by Trevor Bennett and Kathy Holloway found that 89 percent of the prisoners they interviewed admitted that their crimes were caused by drug use in one form or another. Using Goldstein's Framework as well, the authors concluded that economic mechanisms (committing crime to feed drug habits) led to a majority of the lawless activity. In a statistical drug fact sheet published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, it was reported that 32 percent of state prisoners said they were under the influence of drugs when they had committed their crime. In the same report, it was shown that out of offenders of violent crime 15% had consumed alcohol only, 5% had consumed alcohol and drugs, and 5% had consumed drugs only.
As far as this relationship is concerned, it is quite obvious that certain drugs cause crime. As the presented studies show, many inmates who are convicted admit that drugs played a role in the crime . Some substances, such as alcohol, actually motivate citizens to commit violent acts while some drugs are addictive enough for people to rob others to feed their habit. In order to create safer communities across the United States, the government must remove these substances from our everyday lives by enforcing the laws put in place.
In "Research on Drugs- Crime Linkages: The Next Generation", the researchers present the many studies performed to investigate the relationship between crime rates and drug use. The authors refer to Goldstein's Framework, a conceptual essay by Paul Goldstein. The purpose of the Framework is to evaluate and understand the relationship between drugs and criminal behavior. Based on many studies throughout New York, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, and other cities with greater drug problems, it was concluded that alcohol, cocaine, and crack cocaine are the main contributors to the drug related crime. The crack cocaine boom in the 1980's lead to an increase and crime and many studies confirm that alcohol "stimulates or augments a great deal of criminal behavior, almost certainly more than the street drugs combined". Many drugs cause people to behave recklessly and the ease at which people are able to access these substances leads to crime such as robbery, assault, and murder.
Another article by Trevor Bennett and Kathy Holloway found that 89 percent of the prisoners they interviewed admitted that their crimes were caused by drug use in one form or another. Using Goldstein's Framework as well, the authors concluded that economic mechanisms (committing crime to feed drug habits) led to a majority of the lawless activity. In a statistical drug fact sheet published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, it was reported that 32 percent of state prisoners said they were under the influence of drugs when they had committed their crime. In the same report, it was shown that out of offenders of violent crime 15% had consumed alcohol only, 5% had consumed alcohol and drugs, and 5% had consumed drugs only.
As far as this relationship is concerned, it is quite obvious that certain drugs cause crime. As the presented studies show, many inmates who are convicted admit that drugs played a role in the crime . Some substances, such as alcohol, actually motivate citizens to commit violent acts while some drugs are addictive enough for people to rob others to feed their habit. In order to create safer communities across the United States, the government must remove these substances from our everyday lives by enforcing the laws put in place.