Unreported criminal involvement of narcotic addicts

Abstract

For many decades, both professional and popular literature have made references to the extensive criminal involvement of narcotic addicts. The amount of addict-crime which has been documented, however, has been based either on official criminal statistics, or upon speculation, yet official statistics have been shown to be inadequate and speculation lacks scientific validity. A metodological strategy was developed for obtaining self-reported amounts of addict crime. The preliminary results indicated that 6,766 alleged offenses were committed by 38 male addicts over a median period of 4 years, and 6,425 alleged offenses were committed by 32 female addicts over a median period of 3 years. Furthermore, the data suggested that only one crime was cleared by arrest for every 120 offenses committed. © 1972, Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. All rights reserved.