Summarize and discuss the six main conclusions researchers have reached in recent years regarding the relationship between drugs and crime

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

1. More individuals are incarcerated or held in jails and prisons for drug offenses than for any other offense.
2. Arrestees frequently test positive for illicit drug use.
3. Arrestees and incarcerated offenders were often under the influence of illicit drugs when they committed their offenses.
4. Some offenders commit property crime to support their drug habit.
5. Drug trafficking often engenders violent crime.
6. The drug-crime relationship is difficult to identify and measure.
• Together, these conclusions provide evidence for the drug-crime connection, even though it is a complicated one. The conclusions indicate that many people use drugs to give them courage to commit crime or to support ongoing drug use. They also suggest that illicit drugs are a major contributor to jail and prison crowding and they highlight the need for substance abuse treatment programs for inmates. In addition, if society recognizes drug use as a health problem at least as much as a crime problem, prevention efforts have a better chance of succeeding.