Alcohol and drug use as a contributing factor in the commission of crime

Alcohol and drug use as a contributing factor in the

commission of crime – perceptions of Australian detainees

Alexandra Gannoni on behalf of

Dr Susan Goldsmid

2014 Australian Winter School Conference, 23-24 July

What will be covered today?

• An overview of the Drug Use Monitoring in

Australia (DUMA) program

• An examination of the prevalence of drug and

alcohol consumption among Australian police

detainees

• An examination of the role that drug and alcohol

play in criminal offending

Background

• In the 1990s crime rates were rising as were drug

indicators such as heroin overdoses

• High crime rates, particularly property crime, could

not be explained

• The suspicion was that the rise in crime was related

to illicit drug use

What do we know?

• Alcohol and drug misuse are key determinants in the initiation

and maintenance of criminal offending

• Odds of criminal offending 2.8 to 3.8 times greater for drug

users than non-drug users (Bennett, Holloway & Farrington 2008)

• Regular users of both amphetamines and heroin self-report

violent and property offences at rates more than five times

higher than prisoners with no history of drug abuse (Makkai &

Payne 2003)

• Drug use is linked to higher recidivism rates among prison

populations (Kinner 2006)

What is DUMA? Drug Use Monitoring in Australia

• Created in 1999, DUMA is the largest and longest-

running ongoing survey of Australian police

detainees

• Based on I-ADAM (United States-driven

international project)

• Co-operative partnership between AIC, local

researchers and police

What are the objectives of DUMA?

• Collect illicit drug prevalence data on offenders at

selected sites in Australia

• Improve the quality of data available on illicit drug use in

the offender population

• Establish a mechanism whereby local and national law

enforcement can evaluate policy initiatives

• Provide information on co-morbidity to assist in resource

allocation and service provision in the health sector

• Provide an early warning system for changes in patterns

of illicit drug use

The link between drug and alcohol use and crime

Aim:

• To examine the prevalence of drug and alcohol use

across detainees for different categories of

offending

• To examine the extent to which detainees report that

drugs or alcohol are a contributing factor in their

most recent criminal offending

DUMA methodology

Core survey (questions asked every quarter):

• Demographics

• Alcohol and drug use

• Drug market indicators

• Emerging drugs

• Criminal history information

Addendum (questions asked in a particular quarter):

• Designed to examine topical issues

Why interview police detainees?

• Insight into the extent and nature of drug use –

information not available in drug arrest or seizure

data

• Population is likely to have recent and close contact

with local drug markets

• Likely to be the first group within a particular area to

begin using a new drug (Bennett 1998)

• More likely to partake in illicit drug use than non-

detainees (Bennett 1998)

DUMA methodology

Urine collection and analysis:

• Detainees are asked to provide a urine sample

• Urinalysis tests for:

Cannabis

Cocaine

Amphetamines (methamphetamine, MDMA, other

amphetamines)

Opiates (heroin, methadone, buprenorphine, other opiates)

Benzodiazepines

Sampling method

Data collection period: Four weeks

Data sample: All arrestees over the period are asked to participate.

Juveniles only participate in NSW

Eligibility for interview: In custody for less than 96 hours

Eligibility for urine collection: In custody for less than 48 hours

Exclusions: Detainees who are unfit for interview due to

alcohol/drugs/medication, or who are considered mentally unfit or

potentially violent

Sydney

Bankstown & Kings Cross

Brisbane

East Perth

Western

Australia

Northern

Territory

South

Australia

Queensland

New South

Wales

Victoria

Tasmania

Adelaide

Current DUMA Sites

DUMA survey item

Respondent prompt: Thinking about the main reason

why you have been detained today…..

Question: How much do you think [substance]

contributed to what happened?

1. Not at all

2. A little

3. A lot

4. Don’t know

Findings from the DUMA program The sample (2013)

• 1,134 adult detainees

• 18% female; 82% male

• 756 (67% of sample) provided a urine

sample

• Mean age: 32 (range 18-75 years)

• 44% had previously been in prison

Proportion of detainees testing positive to drugs via urinalysis (n=756)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Proportion of detainees reporting drug and/or alcohol attribution (n=1,134)

*Drugs include cannabis, heroin, speed & MDMA

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Drugs Alcohol Combined

Most serious offence

Percentage of detainees falling in each most serious

offence classification:

Violent offenders (28%)

Breach offenders (25%)

Property offenders (20%)

Drug offenders (10%)

Disorder offenders (8%)

Traffic offenders ( 5%)

Drinking driving offenders (3%)

DUMA sample: Drug and alcohol attributions by

most serious offence classification (n=1,126)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Violent(n=317)

Property(n=223)

Drug(n=108)

Drinkdriving(n=34)

Traffic(n=61)

Disorder(n=85)

Breaches(n=284)

Other(n=14)

Totaldetainees(n=1,126)

Alcohol

Drugs

Combined

Violent offenders: Self-reported use in last 48 hours

and attribution by substance type (n=317)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Cannabis Heroin Meth Ecstasy Alcohol Any drug Anysubstance

Self-reported 48 hour useSelf-reported attribution

Property offenders: Self-reported use in last 48

hours and attribution by substance type (n=223)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%



Drug offenders: Self-reported use in last 48-hours

and attribution by substance type (n=108)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%



Disorder offenders: Self-reported use in last 48-


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%



Breach offenders: Self-reported use in last 48-


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%



Summary of findings

• Approximately half of detainees reported that drugs

and/or alcohol was a contributing factor in their

current offending.

• Cannabis was the most commonly used drug for all

offence categories, but one of the drugs least likely

to be identified as contributing to current offending.

• Self-reported rates of use in 48 hours prior to

interview for heroin, methamphetamine and ecstasy

were highly associated with attribution rates for all

offences.

Summary of findings

Alcohol attribution

• Disorder (51%)

• Violent (31%)

• Breach (25%)

• Property (11%)

• Drug (9%)

Drug attribution

• Drug (53%)

• Property (32%)

• Violent (23%)

• Breach (21%)

• Disorder (9%)

Limitations

Reliability of self-report data

• Assumes that detainees can accurately and reliably

recognise the role that drug or alcohol use played in

their offending.

• Possible under-reporting due to fear of implicating

themselves in illegal activity

Sampling method

• Detainees who are extremely intoxicated are likely to

have high attribution levels but are excluded from

the sample

Conclusion

• Detainees report alcohol and/or drugs as a

contributing factor for a variety of crimes.

• The role that alcohol and drugs play in

offending appears to vary across crime types.

• There appears to be a need for treatment and

diversion programs among the detainee

population.

Thank you for listening

aic.gov.au

Alexandra Gannoni

[email protected]

Susan Goldsmid

[email protected]

References Bennett T (1998) Drugs and crime: The results of research on drug testing and

interviewing arrestees. Research study 183. London: Home Office.

Bennett T, Holloway K & Farrington D (2008) ‘The statistical association between

drug misuse and crime: A meta-analysis’, Aggression and Violent Behaviour,

vol. 13, pp. 107-118.

Kinner SA (2006) The post-release experience of prisoners in Queensland. Trends

& Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice no. 325. Canberra: Australian Institute

of Criminology.

Makkai T (1999) Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA): A Brief Description.

Research and Public Policy Series no. 21 Australian Institute of Criminology:

Canberra.

Makkai T & Payne J (2003) Drugs and crime: A study of incarcerated male

offenders. Research and public policy series no. 52. Canberra: Australian

Institute of Criminology.

Senese JD (1997) Applied Research Methods. Nelson-Hall Publishers: Chicago

Shearer RA (2005) Interviewing Theories Techniques Practices. Pearson Prentice

Hall: New Jersey

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Alcohol and drug use as a contributing factor in the commission of crime