Alcohol and Crimes of Violence: Present Issues

Abstract

Current issues in alcohol-related violence are highlighted through the examination of correlational studies between alcohol and violent crime. Alcohol is associated with violent crime at a greater than chance level and at a significantly higher level than it is associated with nonviolent crime. Heavy drinking and a verbal argument usually precede the violent act and the victim is as likely as the offender to initiate the altercation. However, it is the precipitator of the altercation who is more likely to be intoxicated. Alcohol and aggression are more strongly related than expected with violent offenders demonstrating psychopathology. Marital violence appears related to alcohol independent of other marital problems. Although there exists a strong correlational relationship between alcohol and violent crime, the nature of the evidence prohibits the establishment of a causal link. In particular, methodological problems, such as a lack of appropriate comparison groups, make it difficult to draw conclusions in this area.

Drugs of abuse and the elicitation of human aggressive behavior

“…In this sample, 39.2 % of male offenders and 32.1% of female offenders met DSM-III-R criteria for alcoholism; the next highest rate for an Axis I disorder was approximately 6% for schizophrenia (Eronen, Hakola, & Tiihonen, 1996). The alcohol-aggression relationship has been demonstrated in adult men and women (Hoaken & Pihl, 2000;Giancola et al, 2002), adolescents (Dembo, Pacheco, Schmeidler, Fischer, & Cooper, 1997), different ethnic groups (Murdoch et al, 1990;Valdes, Kaplan, Curtis, & Yin, 1995), and mentally disordered and nondisordered individuals (Hodgins, Mednick, Brennan, Schulsinger, & Engberg, 1996). Alcohol consumption has also been associated with a wide range of types of violence, including but not limited to sexual aggression (Parks & Zetes-Zanatta, 1999;Seto & Barbaree, 1995;Testa, 2002), family and marital violence (Caetano, Schafer, Fals-Stewart, O'Farrell, & Miller, 2003;Leonard & Jacob, 1988;Leonard & Senchack, 1996), child abuse (Kaufman-Kantor & Straus, 1990), and suicide (Brent, Perper, & Allman, 1987).…”

“…This is a situation in which conventional wisdom is likely correct-crime studies consistently implicate alcohol intoxication as one of the most significant factors in violent behavior. In large-scale review of 26 studies, involving 11 countries, it was determined that 62% of offenders convicted of a violent crime had been consuming alcohol shortly before committing the crime in question (Murdoch, Pihl, & Ross, 1990). Alcohol was more than twice as likely to be a contributing factor to violent crimes than nonviolent crimes, and in those studies that measured level of alcohol, violence was associated with heavy drinking.…”

A message in a bottle: Extrapharmacological effects of alcohol on aggression

“…Alcohol is the substance most frequently cited for aggressive and violent behavior (Boles & Miotto, 2003;Gmel & Rehm, 2003;Parker & Rebhun, 1995;Pernanen, 1991), with an average of 40-50% of violent crimes involving a person who has consumed alcohol (Murdoch, Pihl, & Ross, 1990; see also Bègue & Subra, 2007). Pharmacologically-based models purport that aggression following the consumption of alcohol is due to the pharmacological properties of alcohol itself, whereas expectancy models have proposed that the behavior following the ingestion of alcohol is a function of the drinker's implicit or explicit beliefs regarding the effects of alcohol.…”

The Effects of Alcohol Intoxication and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies on Lab-Based Partner Aggression

“…Further, 63% of violent offenders committed their crime while under the influence of alcohol (Murdoch, Pihl, & Ross, 1990). Similar to other forms of aggression, alcohol was present at the time of 63% of acts of intimate partner aggression (Greenfeld & Heneberg).…”