NCJ Number
157373
Journal
British Journal of Addiction Volume: 82 Dated: (1987) Pages: 899-906
Date Published
1987
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Twenty-eight residents in a long-term drug rehabilitation center, run along a 12-step philosophy, participated in structured interviews designed to examine the relationship between heroin, other drugs, and various crimes.
Abstract
The results showed that the extent of heroin use correlated with theft and burglary of businesses; heroin use was also associated with illegal activities such as tax evasion and social security fraud. An economic crime index was predicted by a combination of tranquilizer and heroin use, but not by heroin use alone. The use of alcohol and sleeping pills was also correlated with certain criminal behavior, including theft from family and shoplifting. Regression analysis showed that heroin use did not correlated with all crimes and was not predictive of any crimes. Crimes were predictable from polydrug use and other crimes. Neither crime nor income predicted heroin use, but use of other drugs did. 3 tables, 2 notes, and 26 references