5 - Drugs and Crime

Summary

INTRODUCTION

It is widely believed that drug use causes crime. The current UK drugs policy is based on this assumption and one of the aims of the strategy is to reduce crime by reducing the availability of drugs (Home Office, 2002). However, it is not wholly certain that there is a connection. Although many studies have shown a link between drug use and crime, many others have not. There have also been few systematic reviews of the literature as a whole which might help unravel these different findings. It is possible that drugs and crime are connected under certain conditions and not under others. The data collected as part of the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) program adds to this body of knowledge on the links between drug use and crime. In particular, it provides an opportunity to investigate variations in the association and some of the conditions that might affect it.

PREVIOUS RESEARCH

A considerable body of research has attempted to establish whether there is a statistical connection between drug use and crime. The association has been investigated in part by looking at samples of criminals to determine their level of drug use and, in part, at samples of drug users to determine their level of criminality. The following section summarizes selected research findings from different countries and a brief overview of some reviews of the literature.