Discuss in detail the three contextual relationships between drug use and crime
using examples you have researched from the newspaper, internet, or other professional or public journals. Your conclusion should include a comparative analysis of these relationships from your perspective, indicating which one invokes the greatest social threat.
Violent crimes are very rampant in our everyday society. It’s very rare that you see the evening news without any reports about crime and violence. It’s been said that one of the major factors of the continuous soaring of crime rates is the rampant usage of illegal drugs. Drug trafficking is no longer a new matter to the society. It’s been existing since the rebirth of drug use in the sixties. What’s really shocking is the youth’s constant involvement and dependence on drugs. Many of the crimes committed which are drug-related are often involving juveniles, or even young adults.
It is funny that illegal drugs are now very often used by our fellow citizens as “de-stressors”, or to alleviate whatever psychological or social stress they are going through, whereas before, these drugs were primarily used as medication. Early on, the Chinese immigrants had brought the habit of smoking opium when they were digging railways. Drug use was very accessible back then, it was sold even as cough syrup. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, drug use was at its ebb, even though large importations of heroin to the US were slowly growing. (Musto 1991; Rouse and Johnson 1991). But on the 1960’s, drug use found a revival in young adults. According to a survey, the proportion of the population
reporting having used marijuana increased from 4 to 24 percent, and the heroin
addict population grew from 50,000 to 500,000 (DuPont 1978). Also, with the increase of drug use was also an increase on drug related crimes. It was also found that most of the drug users and assaulters were middle-class youths. That rise of drug use and crime triggered the government to declare war on drugs. Following that were a number of legislations that also tried to help remove illegal drugs from the society and away from young people. According to the Italian Voice, “nearly half (48%) of all men arrested for homicide and assault, test positive for drugs at the time of their arrest.”
Here we have a table showing the different relationships of drug use and crime.
Drugs and Crime relationship
Definition
Example
Drug-defined offenses
Violation of laws prohibiting or regulating the use, possession, distribution or manufacture of drugs.
Drug possession or use. Marijuana cultivation. Methamphetamine production. Cocaine, heroin or marijuana sales.
Drug-related offenses
Offenses in which a drug’s pharmacologic effects contribute; offenses made by the user’s need for money to support continued use; and offenses connected to drug use itself.
Violent behavior resulting from drug effects. Stealing to get money to buy drugs. Violence against rival drug dealers.
Drug-using lifestyle
Drug use and crime are common aspects of a deviant lifestyle. The likelihood and frequency of involvement in illegal activity is increased because drug users may not participate in the legitimate economy and are exposed to situations that encourage crime.
A life orientation with emphasis on short term goals supported by illegal activities. Opportunities to offend resulting from contacts with offenders in illegal markets. Criminal skills learned from other offenders.
Source: US Department of Justice
Here is yet another table showing the relationship of drug use and crime rate.
Table 1. Criminal behavior and substance use among 18- to 49-year-olds, 1991 provisional data
Criminal Activity
Percent reporting alcohol and drug abuse in the past year
Alcohol, cannabis and cocaine*
Alcohol and cannabis only*
Got drunk monthly (no illicit drug use)
Alcohol only
None
Any violent crime
26.1%
14.6%
6.3%
4.8%
2.7%
Any property crime
24.7
13.0
8.0
3.8
1.7
Driving under the influence
57.2
30.8
33.3
12.3
0.1
Sold drugs
15.1
2.2
0.2
0.1
0.0
Source: US Department of Justice
In the tables above, we can see and the relationships linking drug use with crime. All of the above-mentioned relationships are dangerous and all invoke great threats to society, but drug-defined offenses invoke the greatest threat on society. Yes, it may be scary that a person could ruin his life because he now lives just to kill himself later on with constant drug-use. He may invoke great threat on the people around him, he may harm them, or he may even get the chance to kill. But the most threatening of all is when a user may contribute to making another user and ruining a lot of lives. Drug-defined offenses may not be as gruesome or as brutal as the other two but it is here that lay all the things that can turn those two other relationships into reality. The chance to ruin other peoples lives lie greatly on these undertakings. On the other two offenses, we are talking about singular individuals. But when you talk about drug defined offenses, we are talking about the majority of the people. Here is the root of all evil that drug usage brings. Therefore, all must be done to cut drug usage from its source.
In your opinion, what legislation of the past 3 decades has had the greatest impact on the drug-crime relationship? Defend your response.
In my opinion, the “Drug Control Policy” has the biggest impact on the Drug-Crime relationship. In order to understand well how this policy works, let us examine their goals and objectives.
The Drug Control Strategy divides the solution into five different goals, which are to:
1. Educate and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.
2. Increase the safety of America’s citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.
3. Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.
4. Shield America’s sea, air and land frontiers from the drug threat.
5. Break foreign and domestic sources of supply.
Source: Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere
Their first goal, which is to educate the youth on illegal drugs and alcohol, in my opinion, is a very good approach since we are letting the youth know the importance of resisting drugs and alcohol which may, in the future, ruin their lives. The following goals are also quite good because the only way, in my opinion, to reduce the rate of drug users in the country is to cut off the drug users from the root.
This policy of the government in my opinion is really very good since it tackles the two most important aspects in the drug and crime relationship. I think that if this policy of the government would indeed succeed, eventually, drug abuse and crime rate due to drug usage will die down.
Using the Library’s resources and the Internet, find the effects of three types of substances discussed in this unit. Please discuss these three effects. Then choose one and locate two articles describing situations where a crime was committed by a person under the influence of a specific substance. Find an article where you believe the substance is mostly responsible for the crime. Find another article in which the person is mostly responsible for the crime
Describe, in your opinion, the most “dangerous” drug. Support your opinion with fact. (Cite your sources.) What is the relationship between this drug and crime?
In my opinion, the most dangerous drug is Methamphetamine, more popularly known as Meth. According to Sarah Childress, “Methamphetamine is a ruthless drug, it leaves a feeling of euphoria that addicts chase it for the rest of their lives but never catch it. It even leaves them destitute and at the brink of death. It ruins their lives.”
Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant drug which induces a strong feeling of euphoria and is highly psychologically addictive. Pure methamphetamine is a colorless crystalline solid, sold on the streets as glass, ice, or crystal. A stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but with stronger effects on the central nervous system. (Wikipedia) Methamphetamine, called “poor man’s cocaine”, causes the user to be relatively keeps the user very alert and awake and gives them the “ultimate high” that they keep on chasing for the rest of their lives. Prolonged use of meth may also cause Methamphetamine Psychosis. According to Wikipedia, “Amphetamine psychosis is a form of psychosis which can result from amphetamine or methamphetamine use. Typically it appears after large doses or chronic use; although in rare cases some people may become psychotic after relatively small doses.” Methamphetamine even dries out the saliva of the user, causing him to grind his teeth, thus causing decay.
These findings can support my opinion that Meth is the most dangerous drug of today. It not only destroys the lives of the users but also the lives of the people around them. They may even pose a threat on unknowing passers-by.
Methamphetamine ruined the life of a young mother and professional, Kimberly Fields, who was living in the stately Chicago suburb of Burr Ridge. She had everything she wanted, a husband, two kids, a car, and a great house. But she threw all of this away only for the high that Meth gave her. Soon after, she started shoplifting and stealing cold pills. She was left by her husband and he filed Divorce papers claiming that she was no longer capable of taking care of their kids. Soon, she turned her house into a meth lab. She was cooking Meth in her own house. She was arrested for drug-related cases.
As in the example above, the need for the feel of the rush brought by the drug, some users are pushed to the edge. They steal just to get the drug they need.
Explain, in a 3-5 page paper in your own words, how sociology and psychology influence drug abuse. Then describe the relationship between these two explanations of drug abuse and crime. Support your paper with examples found from the Internet.
Psychology, as by defined in the dictionary, is the “Scientific study of human behavior, mental processes, and how they are affected and/or affect an individuals or group’s physical state, mental state, and external environment. its goal is to describe, understand, predict, and modify behavior.” And so is sociology. Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Based on these definitions, we can already say that psychology and sociology have a big impact on drug use.
Sociology and psychology go hand in hand in shaping and sculpting the life of a person. Sociology and psychology are the foundations of the social life of every human being.
A human being is a social being. He cannot exist alone. He needs other people to survive. All humans are co-dependent on each other to fill their sociological needs. That’s the reason why everyone is subjected to peer groups and sociological leveling. He is also part of a culture, which means he has to conform to what society dictates of him. And besides that, he has to cope up with things that happen within himself.
These factors are enough to make him shrink away from society and turn to something else to alleviate any bad feeling that he has. Things like illegal drugs are easily at hand to suppress any bad feeling that he has. Peer pressure and stress are most often the biggest contributing factors to drug use and abuse especially in teenagers since they are the most lenient and are easily persuaded into doing these kinds of things. When people are subjected to social pressure, especially younger people, they easily give in. being part of a peer group and being “in”, are always the most important things for young adults, despite the health hazards they face. Being in a peer group in itself is not bad. It’s even good that one has people he can trust, hang-out with, have fun with, or even cry with.
But the bad thing is when the peer group is the bad influence. At times, it’s inevitable that young ones get into doing things like trying drugs, or drinking. Even if the person was brought up properly by the parents, the pressures of society are still very heavy. Eventually, sooner or later, the person is bound to give in, especially if the peer group is attacking one’s manhood, or womanhood for that matter.
But other researches link psychological factors to the development of the person’s inclination to drug use and abuse. In the longitudinal inquiry conducted by Jonathan Shedler and Jack Block from the University of California, Berkeley, children were observed from whence they were 18. A group was found to have tried drugs, basically experimenting. Another was composed of frequent drug users and the last was a group who never tried doing drugs. The group who had experimented on drugs was found to be the “best-adjusted in the sample”. The group who were frequent users was called “maladjusted,” and was found to be “showing a distinct personality syndrome marked by interpersonal alienation, poor impulse control, and manifest emotional distress”. The last group, the ones who never tried drugs, was found to be “relatively anxious, emotionally constricted, and lacking in social skills.”
According to Block and Shedler, the difference between the three groups could be found in the type of parenting style they received. Also, the results of their study found that, “(a) problem drug use is a symptom, not a cause, of personal and social maladjustment, and (b) the meaning of drug use can be understood only in the context of an individual’s personality structure and developmental history.” Basing on their findings, it cold also be concluded that the current undertakings on the war against drugs are not attacking the right target. According to them, “… they focus on symptoms, rather than on the psychological syndrome underlying drug abuse. “
Whether psychologically or socially, drug use is still a very big contributing factor to a person’s inclination to eventually doing crimes he normally wouldn’t do if he were sober. For example, in the data sheet obtained from the US Department of Justice:
Table 1. Criminal behavior and substance use among 18- to 49-year-olds, 1991 provisional data
Criminal Activity
Percent reporting alcohol and drug abuse in the past year
Alcohol, cannabis and cocaine*
Alcohol and cannabis only*
Got drunk monthly (no illicit drug use)
Alcohol only
None
Any violent crime
26.1%
14.6%
6.3%
4.8%
2.7%
Any property crime
24.7
13.0
8.0
3.8
1.7
Driving under the influence
57.2
30.8
33.3
12.3
0.1
Sold drugs
15.1
2.2
0.2
0.1
0.0
* Indicates use of each of these substances some time during the past year, not necessarily use of both/all at the same time.
Source: Harrison & Gfroerer, 1992
As the table shows, whether the reason be psychologically or sociologically, under the influence of illegal dugs, the person has a higher risk of doing crimes, violent or not.
What do you think has more effect on a person’s inclination to abuse drugs: social factors or psychological factors? Support your answer with evidence.
In my opinion and in the researches I have conducted, Psychological factors hold the biggest part in the person’s inclination to do drugs. In the longitudinal study I presented above, the researchers observed the samples from childhood till they reached the age of 18. They found that the parenting style given to them held the biggest impact on their future decisions, such as to do or no to do drugs. And also, they found that drug abuse is not the cause, but rather a “symptom” of social maladjustment and untowardly behavior.
According to them, the current war on drugs is not addressing the right problem. We could well be on the way to being drug-free if we re-examine the real cause of drug use. Are we really treating the children the way they should be? Are we doing our part in ensuring that the children will never resort to drug abuse in the near future?
Evidently, the quality of parenting can make or break the child’s future. Long before a child is thrown into the unforgiving world, he is first taken cared of by his parents. If they raise him well, he may be able to resist the need to do drugs. But if the child is raised in a much to tight or much too loose environment, he may develop certain characteristics that may cloud his decision-making capability or may keep him from reaching out to others and may therefore resort to something else.
Some drug cases are processed in court while others are processed outside the court system. Using the Internet and all other resources at your disposal, write an analysis of the major stages of each process (in court and out of court). What works and what doesn’t for each process?
In your own words, define drug trafficking. Describe what you feel might be the solution to combat this “business of drugs.” Why do you think your solution would work? Support your theory.
Drug trafficking is the selling of illegal drugs. I think the way to combat drug trafficking is by constantly keeping vigilant watch over what’s being imported or exported out of the country and making sure that no illegal drugs comes in or goes out of the country. The effects might not be immediate, but in a little while, the effects of this method will be felt.
This solution I offer is pretty simple: only to keep a very vigilant watch over what’s coming in and out of the country. That may not be so difficult. Just make sure all the borders are well guarded against anyone wanting to bring something out or into the country. The key to the success of this undertaking lies in the those people who guard the borders and check the baggage. That is where the success or failure of this undertaking is, because if those people chose not to put their hearts into doing their job, the whole undertaking is pointless. And also, dogs that could sniff out drugs from anywhere would really be a big help.
This solution would work because it’s relatively simple and only need the help of those people who really put their hearts into doing their job. It won’t even cost anything because there are no fancy equipments to buy, only the dogs. The only real downfall of this is if the checkers are lazy enough as not to check the baggage thoroughly and just to let things slide.
I strongly think that this theory will work because it will only illicit the help of people and that the drug trade will be cut off from its source. If supplies for making meth, for example, are no longer able to get into the country, the local industry of making meth would soon die down.
And also, as parents, we must also give the best quality parenting we can offer to our children. Because we mold them to what they may become in the future.
What is your stance on decriminalization? What about Drug Maintenance and Harm Reduction? Explain how you think each of these possible solutions would work. Describe an alternative to each of these solutions.
In some aspects, I can favor decriminalization, because there are some acts that cannot really be considered criminal acts. Homosexuality for one. It’s not a crime to be a homosexual. Even if you one tries to be straight, there is nothing that can be done about one’s gender preference. That cannot be called illegal or anything against any man-made law.
But on some aspects of decriminalization, I am really not in favor of it. Like the decriminalization of prostitution and some prohibited drugs. Why do you decriminalize prohibited drugs? They have been found out to have negative effects on humans, why decriminalize them? Maintenance drugs however, I find very understandable since there are a lot of people with chronic illnesses and one of the ways of keeping their illnesses in a safe side is by taking maintenance drugs. Maintenance drugs are also proven safe and effective. On Harm-Reduction, I’m not really in favor of this. It’s like allowing people to do some things they shouldn’t because of the fear that they may still do it in secret. It may lessen the people’s illegal actions but still, everyone knows it is illegal in a sense.
I propose in lieu of decriminalization and harm-reduction on drugs, we should just keep our vigilant fight against these harmful things. They have been proven to bring harm to mankind; why should we decriminalize them? Therefore, we should keep them as far as possible from the human race to prevent any future damage thy might bring to us.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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