Impact on Criminality and Deviant Behavior (From Consequences of Adolescent Drug Use: Impact on the Lives of Young Adults, P 102-119, 1988, -- See NCJ-113031)

• NCJ Number: 113032
• Author(s): M D Newcomb; P M Bentler
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using data from a longitudinal study (1976-1984) of the effects of adolescent drug use during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, this chapter explores the impact of drug use on criminality and deviant behavior.

Abstract

Drug use was significantly related to lower social conformity, more criminal activity (during adolescence but not during young adulthood), having a deviant peer network, and involvement in drug and property crimes. Adolescent social conformity was significantly associated with lower criminal and deviant behavior. Engaging in adolescent criminal activity was substantially related to property crime involvement in young adulthood. In young adulthood, criminal activities and property and violent crime involvement were all highly intercorrelated in a positive direction, while drug crime involvement was to a small degree negatively correlated with violent crime involvement and positively correlated with property crime involvement. A general tendency toward adolescent criminal activity was predictive of having confrontational friends, and having a deviant peer network was associated with property crime and arrests and convictions for property crimes. General drug use during adolescence was negatively correlated with arrests and convictions for violent crime in young adulthood, although hard drug use increased the frequency of assault violations in young adulthood.