Study Blames Alcohol, Other Drug Users for Crimes
A new study concludes that people who misuse alcohol and other drugs
are responsible for about 25 percent of all violent crimes, Reuters
reported May 21.
Seena Fazel of the University of Oxford in England and Martin Grann
of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, compared Sweden's
national crime register for the years 1988-2000 with hospital discharges
of individuals diagnosed with alcohol and other drug misuse and
psychoses.
The researchers found that 16 percent of violent crimes, including
murder, robbery, assault, and rape, were committed by individuals
who had been discharged from the hospital after treatment for alcohol
misuse, while 10 percent were linked to those who misused drugs
such as amphetamines and opiates.
"It is likely you will find the same sort of figures in Western
Europe and North America," said Fazel. "There needs to
be more integration between the criminal-justice system and mental-health
services because of this close association between crime and people
who leave hospital with drug and alcohol problems."
The researchers concluded that, "Using resources to treat
people with these problems could be cost-effective in terms of crime
reduction." In particular, Fazel said that treatment should
be considered if a person has been convicted of a violent crime.
"Probation officers and mental health professionals should
continue to work more closely," he said.
The study's findings are published in the May 22, 2004 issue of
the British Medical Journal.
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