Drug Use and Acquisitive Crime - Essay Example

This is to to judge whether participation in property-related acquisitive crimes (in particular, shoplifting) can or can not be linked to HHC and other drug based use. These studies have pertained to the subjective and objective justifications or rationalisations behind the participation of the subjects in property-related acquisitive crimes. There is also then an attempt by these researchers to establish the nature and extent of this link. The paper concludes by assessing the views on both sides of the debate and suggesting a way forward.

Illicit drug use and substance abuse has become a dominant political and security concern over the past few decades. Academics and criminologists have not only identified the problem as being based around crime, dependency and ill-health but have studied the historical and pathological trends in the "problem" and the roles of the medical and legal responses and policy frameworks in this regard. ( Barton, A. 2003) . This has of course included the complex nature and broad impact illicit drug use has carried with it.

The problem should be understood in its wider criminological perspective i.e. that given the illicit nature of drug use the typical recreational or casual user will avoid approaching the state agency for treatment for the fear that the law may treat him harshly.This has called for a need to have organisations that are " non-threatening and non-judgemental". (Barton, A. 2003).Academics have also stressed on the role of outreach workers in this regard and the perception gaps between state agencies and voluntary agencies as they are perceived by drug-using clients.

Gilling and Barton (2005) citing Barton .A (2003) have stated that this "perception gap has increased recently given the encroachment of the criminal justice system into the treatment aspect of drug users".Acquisitive CrimeIn order to understand the relationship between Drug Use and Acquisitive Crime it is worth looking at the meaning and context of what is actually encompassed by the term "Acquisitive crime". According to the Home Office definition this category covers " property crime" thus bringing with in its ambit Theft, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Crime, Fraud and Counterfeiting etc.

The most important of these to the present discussion from a criminological and statistical perspective are Burglary,Vehicle Related Crime and Retail Crime due to their correlation with drug and substance abuse and illicit use of drugs.Infact the link between drugs and crime is overall the premise of Government policy on Crime prevention.This can be seen from the recent Home office research(ADAM 1999-2002) which has actually demonstrated a 'statistical link' between levels of illicit drug use and Acquisitive crime a view shared by many academics like Holloway, K.

, Bennett, T. & Lower, C. (2004) and Baron.A (2003).The research (ADAM 1999-2002) pertained to the interviews of offenders involved in drug use in relation to their tendencies to commit crimes like burglary, shoplifting and fraud and it was revealed that over three fourth of these offenders confessed to committing one or more of these acquisitive crimes over the past one year and this was particularly