Patterns of Drug Use, Drug Trafficking, and Other Delinquency Among Inner‐city Adolescent Males in Washington, D.C.*

Abstract

This paper examines (1) the relationship between drug involvement among inner-city youths and the commission of other kinds of crime, (2) the role of drug use in crime commission, (3) the connection between crime and drug procurement, and (4) the factors that distinguish between individuals as a function of (a) levels of involvement in drug trafficking and (b) drug usage and criminal activity.Drug use and trafficking were both related to other criminal activities; the type of drug involvement was related to the type of crimes reported. The heaviest users were significantly more likely than nonusers to commit property crimes and drug traffickers were signij?cantly more likely to commit crimes against persons than were respondents who did not sell drugs. Adolescents who used and sold drugs were the most likely to commit crimes against persons and property, and at the greatest rate. Still, for every type of crime reported in the past year, only a minority of offenders The authors express their gratitude to three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. Points of view are those of the authors and do not represent the opinion of the Department of Justice. CRIMINOLOGY VOLUME 29 NUMBER 4 1991 589 5 90 House, 1989). The strategy includes plans to toughen efforts aimed at hardcore and casual drug users in a number of ways (e.g., arrest, prosecute, and place them in boot camps; impose civil penalties, such as fines; revoke drivers' licenses; suspend students from schools; publish names in local newspapers); to punish, imprison, and even execute some drug dealers; to educate the public, particularly children and young people; and to treat those who need and seek help. Key domestic elements in the plan are restoring lawful public control of the streets; imposing swift, certain, and sufficiently tough penalties; expanding treatment services; and increasing school and community prevention through education. Clearly being singled out is crack cocaine, which from the standpoint of drug trafficking and use is the drug most closely associated with the disproportionate devastation and violence found in the inner cities. Drug use and drug sales are at issue in the drug control strategy. Each is targeted in part because of its alleged link to other criminal activity. Insofar as the connection between drug use and delinquency is concerned, a longstanding debate on the precise nature and direction of the relationship continues unabated (Clayton, 1981; Elliot et al., 1989; Huizinga et al., 1989;Watters et al., 1985;White et al., 1987). Despite recent data suggesting that substance use bears some connection to the general pattern of delinquency (e.g., Dembo, 1988; Kandel, 1980), there is still no clear consensus on the extent to which drugs cause delinquency, delinquency leads to drug use, or some other explanatory factors precede both delinquency and the onset of drug-related problems. According to Watters et al. (1985), it is frequently the case that cited research supporting the drugcauses-crime hypothesis is either only corre...

Illegal Acts Committed by Adolescents Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

“…Furthermore, those studies that have examined these associations have had mixed results (Altschuler and Brounstein 1991;Hartstone and Hansen 1984;Huizinga, Menard, and Elliott 1989;Tinklenberg et al 1981). The purpose of this study was to examine the proxiThe preparation of this article was supported in part by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA 41101 and DA/AA 03395), the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH 50778), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP 96-MU-FX-0012).…”

“…Many adolescents reported that they actually moderated their use when they knew they were going to commit illegal acts. In a study of inner-city ninth graders, Altschuler and Brounstein (1991) found that only a minority of youth used drugs before committing any type of illegal act. Huizinga et al (1989), in a national study of adolescents, reported higher rates of acute alcohol use than drug use for all index offenses except robbery, for which the rates were equal for both substances.…”

“…In contrast, self-report data do not provide strong support for an economic motivation model (White and Gorman 2000). Intensive drug users and highly delinquent youth do not report committing illegal acts to raise money for drugs, and most report committing illegal acts for reasons completely independent of drugs (Altschuler and Brounstein 1991;Carpenter et al 1988;Johnson et al 1986). In fact, much of the recent research dispels the assumption of economically motivated offending, once drug dealing is excluded (White and Gorman 2000).…”

Analyse spatiale des crimes commis sur la rue à l’intérieur des marchés de drogues

“…En effet, au niveau individuel, ce n'est pas parce qu'un délinquant est aussi un toxicomane qu'il y a nécessai-rement un lien causal entre les phénomènes; ces deux types de déviance peuvent se développer à partir d'une série de causes communes (voir Altschuler et Brounstein, 1991 ;Brook et Cohen, 1989) 15 .…”

“…L'abondance des recherches sur la relation liant consommation de drogues et criminalité parmi la population contrevenante réelle et potentielle (voir par exemple Altschuler et Brounstein, 1991;Chaiken et Chaiken, 1990;Goldstein, 1985;Innés, 1988), frappe en regard du peu d'études empiriques sur le thème de la relation spatiale entre drogues et criminalité à travers le paysage physique de la ville. En effet, selon le postulat voulant que les marchés de drogues soient au centre de l'activité criminelle, il est surprenant de constater le peu de documentation disponible sur les analyses spatiales de la relation drogue-crime.…”