NCJ Number
218840
Date Published
December 2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This report presents a summary of the characteristics of detainees apprehended for a motor vehicle theft (MVT) offense and a comparison of these characteristics obtained from detainees participating in the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program between 2003 and 2004.
Abstract
The findings of the study indicate that motor vehicle theft (MVT) offenders have a higher incidence of drug use than other offenders and show a strong link between drug use and criminal activity. MVT offenders’ recorded higher rates of imprisonment were more likely to earn income from illegal activity, and to perceive their involvement in crime as drug-related. They were younger, less educated, and more likely to be living on welfare than other offenders in the study. These findings suggest that current interventions which are targeted toward MVT offenders may benefit from the incorporation of a drug and alcohol counseling component, as well as additional research to determine what factors contribute to the differences between the two groups. An individual is classified as a motor vehicle theft offender if either theft of a motor vehicle or illegal use of a motor vehicle was listed as a charge for that individual. The Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program is a partnership between the Australian Institute of Criminology, State Police Services and local researchers. It involves the measurement of drug use among people recently apprehended by the police. Between January 2003 and December 2004, a total of 7,263 adult detainees were interviewed. Seven percent of these were arrested by police for a MVT offense within each site. Figures