Chronic drug use and crime

FRANÇAIS :
De nombreuses études ont montré que les usagers de drogue étaient plus souvent confrontés au système répressif et judiciaire que les non usagers de drogue. Cette enquête vérifie cette hypothèse, à partir des données statistiques officielles concernant les personnes impliquées dans des activités criminelles aux USA pour 1993 et 1995. L'analyse met en évidence les écarts entre sexes, groupes d'âge, et type d'usage de drogues (usage chronique, non chronique, ou absence d'usage). Les résultats montrent un rapport linéaire significatif entre l'activité criminelle et la fréquence de l'usage de drogue.
ENGLISH :
This paper used bivariate and multivariate analyses to estimate the relationships between chronic drug use and various measures of criminal activity. The data for these analyses were derived from the 1993 (1) and 1995 (2) National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Measures of criminal justice system contact and criminal activity included ever arrested, arrested during the previous year, commission of a predatory crime (e.g., assault, fighting) during the previous year, and commission of a property crime (e.g., theft, property damage, car theft, breaking and entering) during the previous year. The analysis was conducted separately for males, females, and age groups, and it distinguished between chronic drug users, nonchronic drug users, and nondrug users. The results consistently showed a significant linear relationship between criminal activity and frequency of drug use. These findings have implications regarding the potential reduction in predatory, and property crime that could occur from a decrease in drug use.Significant differences in criminal behavior between chronic drug users and other cohorts may signal a critical need to develop targeted interventions for this particular type of drug user. (Review' s abstract)