Offenders
While the most recent research focuses on drug misuse and is designed to help track
the progress of the Government’s drugs strategy, significant alcohol-related data
has been gathered. Drugs and crime: The results of the second developmental stage
of the NEW-ADAM (New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring) programme.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors205.pdf.
The research is based on fieldwork in five English locations and builds on earlier
research "Drugs and Crime: the results of research on drug testing and interviewing
arrestees (Bennett, 1998) Home Office Research Study 183 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors183.pdf).
Two of the five places covered in the NEW-ADAM research, Nottingham and Sunderland
were included in the earlier research. Therefore it is possible to consider changes
in drug use by offenders over the period 1997-1999 for these two locations. The previous
round of this research had stated that 29% of arrestees were too drunk to be interviewed
The table below from the NEW-ADAM research shows the comparative percentage of
positive tests for drugs anong arrestees. Alcohol features in the case of almost
a quarter of arrestees at each location.
Click here for a full size version of the chart
In the case of self-reported drug use, the figures are much higher for alcohol.
The research shows that 83% had consumed alcohol in the last 12 months.
This is further broken down in the table below to show the level of alcohol consumption
for the two age groups 17-24 and 25-59 for the period of 12 months, 1 month and 3
days before arrest. Again the figures do not allow the conclusion to be drawn that
alcohol was associated with the offence committed. However, it does illustrate the
prevalence of alcohol in arrestees.
|
Self-reported
drug use over various periods of time by age
|
17-24
Age group |
25-29
Age group |
| Period |
%
ever |
%
last 12 months |
%last
30 days |
%last
3 days |
%
ever |
%
last 12 months |
%last
30 days |
%last
3 days |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alcohol |
91 |
89 |
85 |
61 |
86 |
78 |
70 |
54 |
|
The proportion of arrestess who thought that alcohol use and criminal behaviour
were connected ranged from around one-third to 46%:
the majority who thought their offending was connected gave reasons which fell
into the category of "alcohol use causes crime"
relatively few arrestees have the reason "crime leads to alcohol use"
very few arrestees indicated a need for money to alcohol or using the proceeds
of their activity to buy alcohol
|
Perceived
connection between alcohol use and crime by location
Percentages
| Is your
alcohol use connected to your offending? |
Sunder-
land
n=257
|
Notting-
ham
n=185
|
Cam-
bridge
n=137
|
London
n=87
|
Man-
chester
n=93
|
Total
n=759
|
Yes |
46 |
37 |
33 |
37 |
37 |
39 |
Alcohol leads to crime |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Affect
of alcohol on judgement |
38 |
28 |
25 |
32 |
32 |
32 |
| Need
for money to buy alcohol |
1 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Crime leads to alcohol |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Money
from crime buys alcohol |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
* |
Other Connection |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A
combination of the above |
3 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
| Other
connections |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
No |
54 |
63 |
67 |
63 |
63 |
61 |
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
The types of offences for alcohol-related activity is shown below:
|
Percentage
positive tests among arrestees held for common offence types
|
Cann-
abis
|
Opia-
tes
|
Meth-
adone
|
Coc-
aine
|
Amphet-
amines
|
Benzo-
diaze-
pines
|
Alco-
hol
|
Any
Drug (excl. alcohol)
|
Multiple
drugs (excl. alcohol)
|
Total
arrestees held for specific offences
|
Assault
|
34 |
24 |
7 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
32 |
61 |
27 |
41 |
Robbery
|
75
|
25
|
25
|
25
|
0
|
0
|
75
|
100
|
25
|
4
|
Burglary
Dwelling
|
56 |
20 |
4 |
8 |
16 |
24 |
8 |
76 |
32 |
25 |
| Burglary
non- dwelling |
33 |
76 |
8 |
50 |
17 |
42 |
17 |
83 |
67 |
12 |
Theft
from vehicle
|
50
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
0
|
50
|
0
|
2
|
| Theft
of/ taking vehicle |
68 |
16 |
8 |
19 |
11 |
19 |
30 |
78 |
38 |
37 |
Theft
Shoplifting
|
60
|
64
|
33
|
41
|
17
|
26
|
7
|
86
|
74
|
42
|
Theft
other
|
52 |
36 |
3 |
13 |
16 |
13 |
13 |
81 |
36 |
31 |
Handling
|
50 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
25 |
50 |
25 |
50 |
50 |
4 |
Fraud/
Deception
|
20 |
20 |
0 |
20 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
40 |
20 |
5 |
Criminal
damage
|
46 |
25 |
8 |
8 |
21 |
4 |
29 |
58 |
33 |
24 |
Drugs
supply
|
75 |
38 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
13 |
13 |
88 |
25 |
8 |
Drugs
possession
|
74 |
28 |
2 |
28 |
21 |
5 |
26 |
86 |
47 |
43 |
| Breach
of the peace |
17 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
6 |
61 |
33 |
11 |
18 |
|
Notes: Includes only
those arrestees who provided a specimen and were held for the
offences shown. Arrestees held for more than one offence have been
coded in terms of the most serious offence using the scale published
by Phillips and brown (1998).
|
