NCJ Number
215854
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 232-252
Date Published
April 2006
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the validity of drug use self-report data among gang members by comparing drug use disclosure rates and urinalysis outcomes for gang members versus other criminally involved populations.
Abstract
Overall, the results indicated that gang members’ drug use disclosure rates did not significantly differ from the drug use disclosure rates of non-gang members. More specifically, findings revealed that disclosure rates for recent marijuana and cocaine use did not significantly vary across levels of gang membership. Other findings indicated that that age and number of previous arrests influenced drug use disclosure rates and that, contrary to previous research, African-Americans had drug use disclosure rates similar to those of other racial groups. The findings lend support for the use of self-report measures to study crime and drug involvement among gang members. Data were drawn from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM), a national program to monitor drug-use trends, treatment needs, and at-risk behaviors among recently booked arrestees from around the country. ADAM gathers self-reported data on crime involvement and includes voluntary urinalysis. Data for the current analysis were from Maricopa County and Pima County, AZ, and included a sample of 939 male and female juveniles who had been arrested, detained, and booked by police. Variables under analysis included gender, ethnicity, age, prior arrests, drug-use history, current school status, and gang association. Data analysis included the use of multinomial logistic regression models. Follow-up studies should focus on the validity of self-reported behavior among adult gang members as well as gang members from other populations, such as school-based populations. Tables, notes, references