NCJ Number
207880
Date Published
2004
Length
282 pages
Annotation
This book assesses what is broadly known about the link between drug use, drug trafficking, the drug market, and crime and discusses related matters such as policing, drug testing, and drug treatment in Great Britain, with this second edition extending the book's coverage to Scotland and Ireland and including a chapter on theoretical debates on the drugs and crime issue.
Abstract
The first chapter presents an overview of the extent of drug abuse in Great Britain, relying primarily on the British Crime Survey, which involves data on the self-reporting of illegal drug use. The second chapter examines the links between drugs and crime, with attention to research that has focused on the various components of the drug-crime connection. It notes that the main problem in making a direct link between drug use and crime is determining whether or not drug involvement was an essential cause of the crime or just an associated circumstance. Four models of the drug-crime link are identified: drug use and criminal behavior stemming from the same history of deviant behavior; drug use and crime influencing one another; drug use and crime occurring simultaneously; and public policy on drugs creating the drug-crime link. The third chapter provides data on the sentencing of drug offenders, followed by a chapter on the nature and impact of coercive drug treatment and mandatory drug testing. Testing and treatment under the jurisdiction and monitoring of drug courts is discussed in another chapter. Remaining chapters discuss drug trafficking and the laundering of drug money, the policing of drug markets, informers and the corruption of public officials in efforts to enforce drug laws, and women's involvement in drug use and crime. The concluding chapter recommends drug policies for the future, with attention to effective ways to decrease the demand for drugs through effective treatment and prevention. 352 references and a subject index