NCJ Number
108508
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1987) Pages: 133-150
Date Published
1987
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The study reported here focuses on the impact of the drug trade on the island of Bimini, an island in the Bahamas about 50 miles from Miami, Fla.
Abstract
An anthropological model introduced by Beals (1953) and elaborated by Pelto (1973) was adapted to explain the findings. This model indicates that the introduction of new technology produces a shift in work patterns which can cause shifts in the economic system and social disorganization. The model was modified to include new factors other than technology which influence the economic structure and a mediating factor of change in the authority or power structure in the community. On Bimini, the drug trade was a nontechnological new element which increased the economic resources available to the community. These new resources were controlled by members of the community who had relatively low status. There was a shift in power or a reduction in the authority of the community leaders. The result has been an increased amount of social disorganization. Potential alternative explanations are examined. (Publisher abstract)