Titre : | The socioeconomic impact of drug-related crimes in Chile (2012) |
Auteurs : | M. FERNANDEZ |
Type de document : | Article : Périodique |
Dans : | International Journal of Drug Policy (Vol.23, n°6, November 2012) |
Article en page(s) : | 465-472 |
Langues: | Anglais |
Discipline : | SHS (Sciences humaines et sociales / Humanities and social sciences) |
Mots-clés : |
Thésaurus géographique CHILIThésaurus mots-clés CRIMINALITE ; PRODUIT ILLICITE ; MARCHE DE LA DROGUE ; CRIME ; TRAFIC ; COUT ; COUT SOCIAL |
Résumé : |
Background: Illegal drug use and trafficking are closely connected to crime. This article estimates the socioeconomic impact of this connection in Chile.
Methods: Goldstein's tripartite model was applied quantifying drug-crime connections and then using those estimates to measure the socioeconomic impact of drug-related crimes. This was estimated in terms of both the monetary cost of law enforcement, and lost productivity due to incarceration. This socioeconomic impact can be divided into: (a) the direct costs arising from infractions to Chile's Drug Law, and the indirect costs originated by crimes linked only partially to drug consumption and trafficking; (b) is measured in productivity losses, as well as in costs to the three branches of Chile's criminal justice system (police, judiciary, and prisons); and (c) is attributed to the three illicit drugs most prevalent in Chile: cannabis, cocaine hydrochloride (CH) and cocaine base paste (CBP). Results: The socioeconomic impact of Chile's drug-crime relationship in 2006 is estimated to be USD 268 million. Out of this amount, 36% is spent on national Drug Law enforcement, and the remaining 64% comes from the connection of drug use and trafficking with non-Drug-Law-related crimes. The police bear the largest share of drug enforcement costs (32%), followed by penitentiaries (25%). Productivity losses due to incarceration for drug-related crimes represent 29% of the total impact. 53% of the costs are attributable to CBP, 29% to CH, and the remaining 18% to cannabis. The impact of CBP is greater when indirect costs are taken into account, although direct costs are primarily associated with CH. Conclusion: The majority of costs is attributed to the trafficking and consumption of CBP, a drug with a relatively low prevalence. Based on the results, this study suggests reviewing drug enforcement policies to differentiate them according to the social and individual harm caused by each drug. |
Domaine : | Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs |
Affiliation : | Instituto de Sociología, Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile |
Cote : | Abonnement |
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