Connection Between Substance Abuse and Crime - Research Paper Example

Substance Abuse, Alcohol, and Crime Introduction Substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is a topic that in the minds of many is elaborate and thus less deserving attention, considering that every household, every family, if not everyone is affected by the subject in one way or the other. When it is not children who are worried about the drinking or dug problems of their parents that has devastated their lives, it is the parents who are worried about the addiction of their children or the likely influence by bad company, which may result in their children being introduced into the vice of alcohol and substance abuse (Mitchell, 2012). Most importantly however is the fact that; when the net is cast widely, then it will trap everybody since if it is not addiction to alcohol and drug abuse, then, it is the resultant violence and crime associated with alcohol and substances abuse. Therefore, the interest in analyzing the subject of Substance Abuse, Alcohol, and Crime is derived from the fact that it is a social problem that has refused to go a way for the longest time. Further, the need to study this subject emanates from the fact that it is a problem for all, and since everybody is affected by this subject, it important to engage it widely, since the existing laws and policy regulation framework does not seem to be effective in addressing the problem, creating a need to engage alternative means of addressing the problem. However, while substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is a serious menace for the nation, the specific area where the issue needs to be addressed is in the issue of alcohol and substance use by teens and young people, which results to juvenile crimes, while also affecting every aspect of their lives, such as their personal health, education, safety and security, relationships and addition (Musto, 1999). Nevertheless, the major risk is the connection that exists between alcohol or substance abuse and crime. The legal risks emanating from alcohol consumption and substance abuse by young people is high, and the chances of destroying the whole life ahead of the young people are high. The legal and policy framework in relation to the subject of substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is not favorable for deterring the access of alcohol and substances, and their consequent illegal use. The legal and regulatory framework has illegalized the possession, production and distribution of drugs and substances, while the actual problem is not licensing, but the fact that such drugs and substances are available and accessible for use (NCADD, 2013). Such policy is not favorable for deterring substance abuse, alcohol, and Crime, and therefore requires to be addressed, so that new legal policies will be established that are capable of hindering the access of such drugs and substances. Further another policy issue that requires to be addressed is the budgeting and funding policy against substance abuse, alcohol, and crime, where a high percentage of the budget dedicated towards this subject is applied for interdiction and law enforcement, instead of public awareness, education and sensitization (Mitchell, 2012). This in turn serves to deter the use of such illegal substances, as opposed to interdicting the users when they have already done the damage. Therefore, the recommendations contained in this discussion will serve to create insights on the legal and policy framework that requires to be changed, and the new policies that require to be put in place, so that the issue of substance abuse, alcohol, and crime can be effectively controlled. Historical Perspective: While the history of substance and drug use stretches back centuries ago, with the early documented incidences of alcohol and stimulating substance use occurring in the 14th century. Then, the problem associated with tolerance, dependence and abuse of alcohol emerged, though no accurate studies and findings were recorded back then (Musto, 1999). The major studies in Substance and Alcohol abuse were undertaken in the mid-to-late 20th century, with 1975 being a major reference to when the actual statistics of substance, drug and alcohol abuse as well as their related crimes were registered. Opiates and cocaine were the first drug substances that were introduced in the 16th century for the medicinal and health value, but due to their addictive nature people started consuming them constantly, not for the medicinal benefits anymore or to heal any illnesses, but to enjoy the effect of the addictive feeling (Musto, 1999). By late 1880s, the concern for the drug use and abuse started to raise more concern, and by 1900s, the political role in regulating the use of these substances had been sought, to ensure that the public would stop misusing the drugs initially intended for their medicinal values (Musto, 1999). In 1874, heroine was isolated from the morphine plant still for its medicinal value, and it was first manufactured in bulk in 1898, intended to cure the effect of morphine, but this drug soon entered the list of the most abused drugs and by the 20th century, the abuse of these substances became a major concern both in the USA and globally. On the other hand, there are scanty data that exists in relation to the advent of consumption of alcohol and the subsequent abuse. However, the most documented statistics are in relation to high rates of alcohol consumption by teenagers and youths, where the first instance of documented reduction in the average age of alcohol use occurred in 1975, where the average age of alcohol consumers was recorded at 17.2 years for teenagers and youths, which eventually reduced to 15.9 years by 1993 (NCADD, 2013). The same trend was noted for both tobacco and marijuana use, where the average age of tobacco users reduced from 18.6 to 16.8 years, while the average age of marijuana consumption reduced from 18.9 to 16.3, both recordings showing the changes for the period between 1975 and 1994 (NCADD, 2013). Therefore, the legal framework for the control of both substance and alcohol abuse was established in the late 19th century, after the government realized that the country had officially become a dope field (Mitchell, 2012). It is however during the first quarters of the 20th century during the reigns of Presidents Roosevelt, Wilson and Taft, that the issue of well established legal framework for control of alcohol and substance abuse was established, with Hamilton Wright introducing the first bill to control opium and cocaine in Congress in 1911, which did not pass to law due to immense opposition from other senators, who did not find such substance use as a threat to the American public (NCADD, 2013). However, the increased concern over alcohol abuse and uncontrolled substance use raised concern, eventually resulting to the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, which was passed by congress and signed into law in 1914 by President Wilson (Musto, 1999). This formed the basis for the subsequent policy formulations against substance abuse, alcohol, and crime. Statement of the Problem: The issue of substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is a major concern for the American population, and indeed globally. This is because; the existing policies and practices have failed to result to convincing results, with the consumption of alcohol and its abuse on the rise, while the war against substance and drug use seems to have been lost, with the battle now being left for the prisons and correctional facilities to deal with the issues of already addicted and unstable drug users, while the health facilities are left to deal with the resultant mental and psychological disorders (NCADD, 2013). The statistics provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics are alarming, with the statistics indicating that in 2004, among all the federal inmates, 18% revealed that they had committed the crimes for which they were charged in order to get money for drugs, while the statistics was fairly similar for the state prisons, where among all the inmates, it was revealed that 17% were charged with crimes they had engaged to obtain money for drugs (NCADD, 2013). Further, the data obtained through a study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2002 indicated that of all the property offenders that were both in state and federal prison, 15% had committed such crimes in order to obtain money for drugs (NCADD, 2013). Further statistics from a study undertaken by the Department of Justice indicates that; among all the convicted offenders arrested and serving jail terms in the USA prisons, whose number is slightly above 2 million, 37% confessed to have consumed alcohol at the time they were arrested (NCADD, 2013). The data from the same Department of Justice also indicate that in 2007, there were 1.4 million drivers who were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, while the self-confessed statistics indicated that 159 million drivers are driving impaired by the effects of alcohol or substances every year (NCADD, 2013). Further, the connection between substance and alcohol abuse, and crime cannot be overemphasized, with statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicating that every year, the number of students who are assaulted by other students between the age of 18 and 24, who are under the influence of alcohol and substance is 600,000 (NCADD, 2013). Further, the Department of Justice has produced statistics indicating that at the higher institutions of learning, 95% of the violence offences are committed when either the victim or the offender is under the influence of alcohol or substances (NCADD, 2013). Further, the same statistics have indicated that 90% of the rape cases occur when either the offender or the victim, or both, are under the effect of alcohol or other substances, while a total, of 36 people die every day and another 700 are injured by alcohol impaired driving (NCADD, 2013). In addition, the statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics have indicated that driving under the influence of alcohol or substances is the number one cause of injury, disability and death, for individuals under the age of 21 years (NCADD, 2013). Nevertheless, the strength of the existing policies is that; the policies have managed to reduce the incidences of homicides that are drug related, from an initial 6.7% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2007 (NCADD, 2013). In addition, the cases of senior students who have reported previous use of drugs have constantly declined from 65% in 1981, to 40.7% in 2006 (NCADD, 2013). However, the policies have failed in addressing the incidences of drunken driving, with 159 million Americans confessing having driven while under the influence of alcohol, while only 1.4 million among them were arrested (NCADD, 2013). In addition, incidences of drug related arrests are still high, an indication that the policies in place have failed to deter substance and alcohol abuse, and the associated crimes. Proposed Future Directions The goals of the proposed future directions is to ensure that the rates of substance and alcohol abuse declines markedly, while also seeking to deter the drugged and drunken related crimes in the future, through appropriate policy and legal framework. The recommendations include the establishment of new alcohol policies, which will define alcohol as a neutral substance that is not illegalized. This will mean that it is the use that determines whether alcohol is good or bad. This way, minors will stop the illegal use of alcohol, since they will perceive it as a neutral substance, and thus can wait to use it when they become of age (Musto, 1999). Studies have proven this policy framework has been working in countries like Italy, Israel, Portugal and Spain. This will be an effective improvement in youth crime control and juvenile justice system, since fewer minors will be convicted for substance and drug abuse. Additionally, the establishment of appropriate alcohol and drug policy requiring parents and educational institutions to be actively involved in sensitizing their children on the dangers of alcohol and substance use from an early age is necessary. This will encourage responsible and moderate drinking for such children when they become of age. Further, a study by the Department of Justice has shown that the prison system, where a high percentage of the budget dedicated towards this subject is applied for interdiction and law enforcement, instead of public rehabilitating affected individuals, does not help in deterring substance and alcohol use or their subsequent associated crimes (NCADD, 2013). Therefore, the legal framework policies of the criminal justice system should focus more on rehabilitating than punishing crimes associated with alcohol and drug abuse, through introducing health related departments within every prison or correctional facility (Mitchell, 2012). This will help the released inmates to stay clear of drug and alcohol, when they rejoin the society. The measures of the effectiveness of the recommended policies to be used as the indicators of success of this proposal, is the rate of recidivism amongst the substance and alcohol abuse inmates in juvenile, main prisons and correctional facilities, since this will indicate the level of effectiveness of the rehabilitative policy proposals. The less the recidivism rate would be, the higher the rate of proposal effectiveness. Conclusion Substance abuse, alcohol, and crime is a major problem that is facing the American society and indeed the global society, which requires that the necessary measures are established in form of policy formulations, to deter the continued rise of abuse of alcohol and substances, as well as increasing rates of drug and alcohol related crimes. To this end, establishing rehabilitative policies that seek to rehabilitate offenders involved in drugged and drunken crimes will go a long way in deterring the rise in drug, substance and alcohol abuse. Further, the establishment of rehabilitation departments in every prison and correctional facility will serve the intention of rehabilitating the offenders, while increased sensitization and education of children regarding the dangers of substance and alcohol abuse both in schools and at home, will further help curb the problem. References Mitchell, D.(2012). Drug Courts’ Effects on Criminal Offending for Juveniles and Adults. Campbell Systematic Reviews. Musto, D. (1999). The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). (2013). Alcohol, Drugs and Crime. 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