Drug use and Crime: A Historical Review of Research Conducted by the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center

An encapsulation of the crime-related research conducted at DARC during the past quarter century is provided, to assess the degree to which criminal behavior covaries with levels of drug use.

Abstract

The UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) has become one of the nation's most respected research organizations involved in the study of drug abuse by providing reliable, comprehensive findings. This article provides an encapsulation of the crime-related research conducted at DARC during the past quarter century. Research has focused on the correlates of drug use and criminal behavior and the effects of treatment and criminal justice interventions on subsequent drug use and criminal offending. The relationships have been examined, both directly and by statistical modeling, to assess the degree to which criminal behavior covaries with levels of drug use. The article discusses implications from the findings and makes recommendations regarding future directions for policy and research.