The Criminal Behavior of Drug Abusers

In 1997, the National Institute of Justice established the ArresteeDrug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program to measure drug useamong people who have been arrested. To take this measurement,booking facilities in 35 U.S. cities collect voluntary and anonymous urine samples at the time of arrest. The researchers then calculate the percentage of arrestees who had urine tests that werepositive for drug use. In addition, researchers conduct interviews withthe arrestees about drug use and criminal activity. By combining drugtesting with self-report data from interviews, the ADAM program gives researchers a powerful tool for collecting evidence of patternsof drug abuse. Data from the ADAM program reveal that there is nosingle national drug problem, but rather different local drug problems that vary from city to city.

One of the factors that experts in the field of drugs and crimehave identified is that frequency of drug use increases criminal activ-ity. This is especially true for crimes involving property (such as theftor vandalism), and for people who are addicted to heroin, who abusecocaine, and who abuse more than one drug (multiple drug users)

Prevention Programs to Deter Violence, Substance Abuse, and Criminal Behavior presentation from Boulder, Colorado on Vimeo.