Pierce et al. (2017)
Insights into the link between drug use and criminality: Lifetime offending of criminally-active opiate users
Background
This study aims to determine if the lifetime offending trajectory of individuals who test positive for opiates exceeds that of control groups who test negative, before and after opiate initiation.
Gender and offence type variances are considered in relation to offending rates.
Methods
Historical offending records were linked to drug test results for opiate and cocaine metabolites in adults.
Rate Ratios (RR) calculated comparing opiate positive testers to opiate and cocaine negative controls, using generalised estimating equations to account for within-subject clustering.
Results
Opiate-positive individuals exhibited higher offending rates compared to controls both prior to and after opiate initiation.
Opiate initiation increased RR by 16% for males and doubled it for females.
Non-serious acquisitive crime (e.g., theft) saw a higher increase relative to serious crimes.
Conclusions
Opiate initiation intensifies offending across most crime categories, indicating potential effectiveness of prevention initiatives, especially among females.
Introduction
Heroin and other opiates are linked to heightened criminal activity, particularly acquisitive crimes for financial gain.
The drug-crime association influences UK drug policies significantly.
Explanations for the drug-crime link fall into:
Forward causation: Drug use possibly drives crime (financial necessity, psychopharmacological effects).
Reverse causation: Criminal engagement may lead to drug use (accessibility).
Confounding: Shared underlying causes for both drug use and criminal behavior.
Emphasizes the complexity of the underlying mechanisms.
Methods
Data Collection
Analysis cohort identified from saliva drug tests recorded between 2005-2009.
Cohort included individuals aged 18–39 who underwent drug testing upon arrest for drug-related offences.
Age at drug initiation and offending history obtained through linked national databases.
Statistical Framework
Generalised estimating equations utilized to assess offending differences by cohort.
Two models were evaluated: one for opiate user status and another incorporating time-dependent variables of opiate initiation.
Offence categories analyzed included serious and non-serious acquisitive crimes, and violent crimes.
Results
Cohort Overview
18,965 opiate-positive cases vs. 78,838 controls with higher offending rates for opiate users.
Average ages at drug test and first offence differed significantly between groups.
Historical Offending Rates
Opiate-positive males demonstrated nearly double the offending rate compared to controls, four times greater for females.
Offending rates for both genders increased post-opiate initiation.
Comparative Analysis
Male opiate users exhibited a 2.00 RR prior to use and a 2.32 RR post-initiation.
Females had a marked increase from 2.80 to 5.61 post-initiation.
Initiation raises non-serious acquisitive crime rates more than serious crime rates.
Discussion
Findings Overview
Opiate-positive individuals showed higher rates of historical offending than controls.
Results support hypotheses: higher rates prior to opiate use, exacerbation of offending post-initiation, gender differences in RR increase post-initiation, and variations by crime types.
Limitations
Retrospective design restricts inference on causation.
Potential misclassification within non-case groups influencing results.
Policy Implications
Findings relevant for drug policy reform, emphasizing the need for drug-use prevention efforts that focus on younger demographics, particularly women.
Conclusions
This study underscores a complex relationship between drug use trajectories and criminal behavior, suggesting early intervention strategies tailored towards delinquent behaviors can be effective in addressing problematic substance use.