NCJ Number
173138
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1998 Pages: 176-205
Date Published
1998
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Combining data from structured interviews with policy makers and community representatives and from existing programs, especially Drug Use Forecasting (DUF), the relationship of changing drug use and drug market patterns to homicide trends was investigated in six cities (Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Miami, the District of Columbia, and New Orleans).
Abstract
Communities that had experienced pronounced changes in homicide rates were selected for analysis. In the first part of the study, interviews were conducted in 1996 with policy makers and community activists. Interviews were structured around two hypotheses related to drugs and violence: (1) drug market stability is inversely related to the level of violent crime and homicide; and (2) drug consumption is directly related to the level of violent crime and homicide. In the second part of the study, existing data programs were evaluated to examine links among drug use, drug markets, and homicide. Findings revealed a low awareness of specific local drug use trends, strong perceptions of links between drugs (particularly crack) and violence, and a correlation between trends in cocaine use among DUF arrestees and homicide rates. The latter finding was partially explained by the larger evident risks, both individual and aggregate, associated with crack use and crack purchases. Little correlation was observed between gun ownership rates among arrestees and homicide rates. Policy implications and future research needs emerging from the analysis are discussed that concern the need for reliable drug prevalence data and better dissemination of existing data, drug use and drug market interventions, violence prevention, and the importance of assessing the demand for drugs at the local level. 26 references, 11 notes, 5 tables, and 5 figures