The Relationship Between Substance Abuse and Crime

1278 Words3 Pages

“Drugs and Alcohol abuse”, are phrases we hear commonly on the radio, television or in discussions of social problems. People believe it is the user’s personal choice however; it is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects individuals’ life but is a major social problem that affects society as whole. It has become one of the biggest problems in United States today. Alcohol or Drug abuse nearly automatically is linked with criminal acts. The statistical association between alcohol or drug abuse with crime seems to be convincing when examined at the first glance; however, it is not possible to make a conclusion concerning a distinct cause and effect association between the two aspects. Accordingly, this paper will examine the relation between Alcohol or drug abuse and Crime.

One may ask the exact nature of the relationship between substance abuse and crime. As pointed out by Greenfield, not all those people who use drugs or alcohol commit crime. More so, not all criminals’ abuse drugs or uses alcohol (“An analysis of national….”). Yet again, there is consistently high amount of substance abuse among those engaged in criminal activities. Since the pharmacological impact of immediate as well as chronic exposure of substance abuse changes judgment and reduces self-control, those argue that criminal behaviors promote the use of substances (Sewell, Poling and Sofuoglu, 189). Similarly, some experts argue that criminal behaviors promote the use of substances (Greenfield, 12). Yet again, other experts hold that there is a third aspect, for instance an individual’s genetic make-up or his environment that exposes the individual to substance abuse as well as criminal activities (Walker, 73).

The relationship betw...

... middle of paper ...

...ehmet Sofuoglu. “The Effect of Cannabis Compared with Alcohol

on Driving.” American Journal on Addictions. 18.3. (2009):p185-193. Academic Search Premier.

EBSCOhost. UMBC, Baltimore, Albin O. Kuhn Lin. 4 Mar 2011.

Valencia-Martin, Jose Lorenzo, Inaki Galan, and Fernando Rodriguez-Artalejo."The joint association of

average volume of alcohol and binge drinking with hazardous driving behavior and traffic

crashes.." Addiction 103.5 (2008): p749-757. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. UMBC, Baltimore, Albin O. Kuhn Lib. 4 Mar 2011.

Walker, Samuel. “Sense and nonsense about crime and drugs: a policy guide.” 6th ed., California:

Wadsworth Pub Co, 2006. Print.

Wilson, Hugh T. “Drugs, Society, And Behavior 10/11.” 25thed., Califronia State University: Mc-Graw Hill

Higher Education division. 2010. Print

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