NCJ Number
29518
Date Published
1974
Length
22 pages
Annotation
THE ARREST AND CONVICTION RECORDS OF 282 OPIATE USERS IN THE DENVER CITY JAIL WERE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE IF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY INCREASED AFTER THE ONSET OF OPIATE ADDICTION.
Abstract
THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ADDRESSED IN THIS STUDY WERE: 1) DOES TOTAL ARREST ACTIVITY INCREASE WITH THE ONSET OF ADDICTION? 2) AS REFLECTED BY OFFICIAL ARREST REPORTS, WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC OFFENSE ACTIVITIES EFFECTED BY THE ONSET OF ADDICTION? AND 3) ARE THE PATTERNS OF ARREST ACTIVITY WITHIN A SAMPLE ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENCES IN AGE OF ONSET, RACE AND/OR SEX? THE TOTAL CRIMINAL HISTORY FILES OF THE SUBJECTS WERE EXAMINED FOR BOTH DEMOGRAPHIC AND OFFENSE DATA, AND EACH DISCRETE ARREST INCIDENT WAS CODED ACCORDING TO THE MOST SERIOUS OFFENSE CHARGED ON THAT OCCASION. OFFENSES WERE GROUPED INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: BURGLARY, ASSAULT, SEXUAL ASSAULT, LARCENY, PUBLIC ORDER OFFENSES, PROSTITUTION, AND ALL OTHER ADULT CRIME CHARGES. ARRESTS WERE DICHOTOMIZED AS OCCURRING BEFORE OR AFTER THE DATE OF THE SUBJECT'S FIRST DRUG ARREST, WHICH WAS ADOPTED AS A SUBSTITUTE MEASURE FOR THE ONSET OF ADDICTION. CONTROLLING FOR THE VARIABLES OF AGE OF ONSET, RACE, AND SEX, PRE- AND POST-ONSET RATES WERE COMPARED. RELATIVELY HIGH ARRESTS FOR THE CRIMES TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OPIATE USE DRUG OFFENSES, LARCENY, BURGLARY, PROSTITUTION, AND ROBBERY - WERE FOUND. THE RESULTS ALSO INDICATED AN APPARENT INTENSIFYING EFFECT OF OPIATE USE ON FREQUENCIES OF ARREST. THE SPECIFIC RESULTS FOUND BY CONTROLLING FOR AGE, SEX, AND RACE FACTORS ARE ALSO REPORTED. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDE THAT OPIATE ADDICTION INTENSIFIES OFFICALLY NOTED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY FOR MOST MAJOR CRIMINAL OFFENSES, AND THAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE AGE OF ONSET, RACE, AND SEX PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO EXPECTED OFFENSE PATTERN DIFFERENCES DURING THE POST-ONSET PERIOD. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)