Drugs, Crime, and Justice

by Steven R. Belenko, Cassia Spohn

Overview

Drugs, Crime, and Justice is an engaging, yet comprehensive, analysis of the interrelationships among drug use/abuse, crime, and justice. The first four chapters introduce readers to the interrelationships between drugs and crime, while the second later chapters provide readers with an overview of historical and contemporary policies, as well as a comprehensive review of research on policing drug markets, arresting drug offenders, and prosecution and sentencing of drug offenders in state and federal courts. The authors also examine and assess the impact of the war on drugs and conclude with a discussion of recent policy changes such as drug courts and reform/repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and an examination of new and emerging drug policies in the 21st Century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483324364
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/10/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	554,754
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Steven Belenko is Professor in the Temple University Department of Criminal Justice and adjunct Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has conducted extensive research and published widely on drug abuse and crime, the impact of substance abuse on the adult and juvenile justice systems, drug policy, and developing and testing organizational change strategies to improve the implementation of drug treatment for offenders. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, he is the sole author of two books on drug policy and coauthor of a recent book on implementation of drug treatment in community corrections. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology.

Cassia Spohn is School Director and Foundation Professor of Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. She is the author of several books, including The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (with Sam Walker and Miriam DeLone) and How Do Judges Decide? The Search for Fairness and Equity in Sentencing. She has published a number of articles examining prosecutors’ charging decisions in sexual assault cases and exploring the effect of race/ethnicity on charging and sentencing decisions. Her current research interests include the effect of race and gender on court processing decisions, victim characteristics and case outcomes in sexual assault cases, judicial decision making, sentencing of drug offenders, and the deterrent effect of imprisonment. In 1999, she was awarded the University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: DRUGS, CRIME, AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM: OVERVIEW
Drug Use in the United States
Arrests and Incarceration for Drug-Related Crime
The Connections among Drug Abuse, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System
Goal of the Book and Overview of the Remaining Chapters
CHAPTER 2: PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS AND DRUG USE/ABUSE
Basic Concepts about Psychoactive Drugs
Tolerance, Dependence, Abuse and Addiction
Drug Abuse and Drug Misuse
Drug Dependence and Addiction
Factors Influencing Drugs’ Effects on Behavior and Mood
Classes of Drugs and the Drug Enforcement Administration Schedules
Classes and Types of Illegal Drugs and Their Effects
Marijuana
Focus on an Issue: Marijuana as the “Gateway Drug”?
Central Nervous System Depressants: Opiates
Heroin
Synthetic Opiates (Opioids)
Sedative-Hypnotics
Stimulant Drugs
Cocaine
Crack Cocaine
Amphetamines
Methamphetamine
Hallucinogens
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
Psilocybin (Mushrooms) and Peyote (Mescaline)
Phencyclidine (PCP)
Club Drugs
Summary: Psychoactive Drugs and Their Effects
CHAPTER 3: THEORIES OF DRUG USE AND ABUSE
Explaining Drug Use and Abuse
Is Addiction a Moral Problem or a Disease?
Biological and Genetic Theories
Psychological Theories
Sociological Theories
Summary: Theories of Drug Use and Abuse
CHAPTER 4: DRUG ABUSE AND CRIME
The Drugs-Crime Connection
Drug Use Among Offenders
Drug Use Among Offenders Under Correctional Supervision
The Meaning of the Drugs-Crime Connection?
Drugs and Crime: A Complex Relationship
Theories Explaining the Drugs-Crime Connection
Drugs and Property Crime
Drugs and Violence
Stimulant Drugs and Violence
Other Drugs and Violence
Focus on an Issue: Gangs and Drug Dealing
Summary: Drug Abuse and Crime
CHAPTER 5: THE WAR ON DRUGS: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES
The War on Drugs: A Historical Overview
The First War on Drugs: Alcohol and Prohibition
Criminalizing Drug Use: Targeting Opium, Morphine and Other Mood-Altering Drugs
The Harrison Tax Act of 1914
Focus on an Issue: Racial and Ethnic Prejudice and the Case for Criminalizing Drug Use
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
Enforcing the Drug-Control Legislation
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970
The Contemporary War on Drugs
Sentencing Reform and Sentencing Guidelines
Sentencing Guidelines for Drug Offenses
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Statutes
Sentences Imposed on Offenders Convicted of Offenses with Mandatory Penalties
Focus on an Issue: The Crack-Power Cocaine Disparity
Criticisms of Mandatory Minimums
Drug-Free School Zones
Reducing the Supply of Drugs
Summary: The War on Drugs
CHAPTER 6: POLICING DRUGS: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES
Police and the War on Drugs: A Focus on Arresting Drug Users and Sellers
Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests
Explaining Increases in Arrest Rates for Drug Offenders
Did Arrests Increase Because Drug Use Increased?
Did Arrests Increase as a Result of Changes in Policies and Practices?
The Effect of Changes in Policing Strategies
Stop and Frisk Procedures
Pretext Traffic Stops
Drug Courier Profiles
Financial Incentives To Fight the War on Drugs
Focus on an Issue: Policing for Profit—Drug-Related Forfeitures
The Racial Disparity in Arrest Rates
Do Blacks Use or Sell Drugs at Higher Rates than Whites?
Are Police More Likely to Arrest Blacks than Whites for Drug Offenses?
Summary: Policing Drugs and Drug Offenders
CHAPTER 7: PROSECUTING DRUG OFFFENDERS IN STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS
Explaining Decisions of Prosecutors and Judges: The Focal Concerns Perspective
Drug Offenders in State and Federal Courts
Drug Offenders in State Courts
Drug Offenders in Federal Courts
Prosecutors’ Charging and Plea Bargaining Decisions
Research on Prosecutors’ Charging Decisions
Charging Decisions in State Court Systems
Charging Decisions in the Federal Court System
Focus on an Issue: Prosecution of Pregnant Women Who Use/Abuse Drugs
Filing Charges that Trigger Mandatory Minimum Sentences
U.S. Attorneys and the Substantial Assistance Departure
Focus on an Issue: Substantial Assistance Departures and Mandatory Minimum
Sentences: Melendez v. United States
Research on Use of Substantial Assistance Departures
Summary: Prosecuting Drug Offenders
CHAPTER 8: SENTENCING DRUG OFFENDERS
Trends in Sentencing Drug Offenders
Focus on an Issue: The Supreme Court and the Substantial Assistance Departure
Modeling the Sentencing Process
Disparity and Discrimination in Sentencing
Types of Sentencing Disparity
Types of Sentencing Discrimination
Warranted Versus Unwarranted Disparity
Gender Disparities in Sentencing Drug Offenders
Focus on an Issue: Changes in the Racial Dynamics of Women’s Incarceration
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing Drug Offenders
Disparity Versus Discrimination in Sentencing Drug Offenders
Race and Imprisonment
Race/Ethnicity and Sentencing of Drug Offenders in State and Federal Courts
The “Dangerous Drug Offender” in State and Federal Court
Summary: Sentencing Drug Offenders: Severity, Disparity and Discrimination
CHAPTER 9: THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON DRUGS
The Impact of the War on Drugs on Use of Illegal Drugs
Focus on an Issue: Malign Neglect?
The Impact of the War on Drugs on the Prison Population
The Imprisonment Binge
Mass Incarceration of Drug Offenders
The Characteristics of Imprisoned Drug Offenders
Focus on an Issue: The Effect of Imprisonment on Recidivism Rates for Felony Drug Offenders
Race and Imprisonment for Drug Offenses
Gender and Imprisonment for Drug Offenses
The Impact of the War on Drugs on Crime: A Focus on Policing
Explaining the “New York Murder Mystery”
The Effect of Drug Arrests on Crime
The Effects of Policing Strategies Designed to Reduce Illegal Drug Activity and Other Types of Crime
Displacement and Diffusion—Does Crime Simply Move Around the Corner?
The Collateral Consequences of the War on Drugs
Focus on an Issue: The Effect on Imprisonment on Employment Prospects
Summary: The Impact of the War on Drugs
CHAPTER 10: DRUGS, CRIME AND JUSTICE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Public Health Approaches: A Focus on Demand and Harm Reduction
Treating Drug-Involved Offenders: Effectiveness of Different Models
Diversion
Focus on an Issue: Should Drug Dealers be Eligible for Treatment Diversion if They Also Use Drugs?
Jail Treatment
Prison Treatment
Treatment under Community Corrections Supervision
Drug Courts
Key Elements of Drug Courts
Do Drug Courts Work?
Medication Assisted Treatment
Modifying Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the 21st Century
New Approaches: More Effective Solutions?
The Debate over Decriminalization and Legalization of Illicit Drugs
Legalization
Decriminalization
Potential Benefits and Problems from Legalization and Decriminalization
Prescription and Maintenance Models
Decriminalizing and Legalizing Marijuana: Medical Marijuana, Decriminalization, and Legalization
Medical Marijuana
Decriminalization and Legalization of Marijuana
Reimagining and Creating New Approaches to the Drugs, Crime and Justice Problem