NCJ Number
225451
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 391-415
Date Published
December 2008
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship of drug prices and related violence in America and Europe.
Abstract
Results found that the correlational and inferential analyses did support the hypothesis for certain offenders’ profiles and certain murders’ circumstances. The study hypothesizes that the prices of illegal drugs affect the level of violent crime, since changes in profitability of the drugs’ markets affect the offenders’ expected utility of using violence to operate in these markets. An increase (or decrease) in prices would raise (or reduce) the offenders’ expected utility of making use of violence, for instance, to solve disputes over drugs, or to conquer more market shares to defend ones own market share; in short to make use of systemic violence. This study proposed an empirical analysis of the relation between the prices of illegal drugs and the use of violence to administrate the markets of illegal drugs, and sought to analyze the relation between the dynamics of cocaine and heroin’s prices and systemic violence in the United States and in Europe over two decades. Data were derived from correlational and inferential analyses conducted on a time series of secondary data as depicted in the Uniform Crime Reports for the American portion, the European Sourcebook for the other portion, and other statistical data. Figures, tables, and references