Variations in drug users' accounts of the connection between drug misuse and crime

A great deal of progress has been made in identifying explanations for the links between drug use and crime. However, less progress has been made in the application of these explanations. In particular, less is known about whether some explanations are more common than others, whether some are linked to certain conditions, whether some apply only to certain individuals, and whether some apply only to certain kinds of drug use and crime. In this article, we investigate the extent to which explanations for the connection between drug misuse and crime vary by type of drug user, type of drug use and type of crime by looking at users' own accounts of the connection. The research is based on data collected as part of the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) program conducted in 16 custody suites in England and Wales. The analysis investigates the proportion of drug users who believe that there is a connection and looks at variations in accounts of the connection by individual and behavioral factors. The implications for government policy designed to reduce drug-related crime are discussed.