Crime & Drugs



Crime & Drugs Lecture Note Outline

Opioid Crisis (mostly lecture, but some from Cohn et al. web rdg.)

What are opioids? Opioid prescription & death rates in recent years, Opioid (& other drug) deaths in Maryland, Source of Opioids for users, Most commonly abused opioids, Opioid deaths by race & by states (& Opioid prescriptions by states & county)

Opioid Crisis & deaths are Public Health Crisis – not just a law enforcement issue

Racial Profiling in Policing– Data on Maryland various counties and state police (lecture only). Which race more likely found with drugs & contraband vs. which race most frequently stopped & searched? (data for Baltimore also in Wilber et al web rdg.)

Extreme racial inequalities in marijuana arrests despite nearly equal mj. use rates among major races. (lecture only)

US prison Population growth since 1980, (Mooney et al. Ch. 4) & role of increasing drug enforcement

Drug Arrest totals trends & largest type of drug arrests are for marijuana possession,– War on drugs is largely war on marijuana… (lecture only)

Extreme Race and Ethnic inequality of US drug prisoner population vs. Drug use rates. [Lecture only]

. [This is consistent with conflict theory of drugs in Mooney Ch. 3.]

“Stop & Frisk” Policing in NYC (& Boston) & data --extreme racial & ethnic inequality /discrimination & rights violations -- who is stopped and searched, but whites more likely to be guilty when searched … (Goldstein & Lowery web rdg.) & Looked in-depth at more of data…

Vide clip of Stop & Search – from victims point of view as well as from Police view from dissident officers that disagree with the policy – pressure from police hierarchy on street officers to aggressively implement this policy… Effects on relations with community.

Baltimore police similar Rights violations and Racial discrimination problems (Wilber et al. web rdg.)

Who was Freddie Gray? Why did his life (from birth on) make it nearly inevitable he would have problems with law; what were his health problems re: lead exposure? (Wilber et al. web rdg.)

Types of Crime (Mooney Ch 4)

Street Crime –Violent & Property crime, trends in street crime rates over past 10-20 years (some in Mooney Ch. 4, but some lecture only) – compare crime rates to public perception of crime frequency (lecture only)

Street Crime & Race & Age & Gender –(Mooney ch. 4), though other data shows Mooney data on race may be over-statement of presence of minorities (Significant difference in Police arrest data in Mooney vs. Crime Victim survey data [perceptions of offender race among victims] shown in lecture)

White Collar Crime --& costs to society vs. Street crime

Organized Crime & ties to Vice crime

Vice Crime (especially Drug Crime)

Drug Crime (Ch. 3 mostly) –

Drug Use & deaths – Alcohol and Tobacco annual deaths, legal drugs, compared to annual deaths from all illegal drugs combined (Mooney et al. ch. 3)

Legal & Illegal drugs -- History of how certain drugs came to be made illegal—racism in this (Mooney et al. Ch. 3)

Most commonly used drugs & by whom (groups) (Mooney et al. Ch. 3)

Drug Control Spending -- Drug Supply Reduction vs. Drug Demand Reduction & which is more effective but less used (Mooney et al. Ch. 3)

Drug Policy – “War on Drugs” More enforcement and jails & how effective is this? (Mooney et al. Ch. 3 Vs. Treat Drugs as health Problem – More drug & Mental Health treatment (effectiveness and cost compared to jails), less punishment for low-level possession & more education on real dangers of drugs (lecture and Cohn web rdg., & Mooney et al. Ch 3 on Netherlands approach & on US “war on drugs”)

Other Examples of new approach to drug policy— 8 states & DC legalize marijuana for recreational use conflict with federal policy… Also, MD recently decriminalize possession of small amount of marijuana (Mooney et al. Ch. 3, and lecture)

White-Collar crime very expensive to society, but little prosecuted, few penalties. (Mooney et al., ch. 4)

Bank money laundering for drug cartels, & lack of much penalty for banks, vs. harsh penalties for small-time drug offenders (Keefe web rdg.),

Much fraud by big investment banks in home loan/mortgage industry, and many big banks have since had to pay fines for such fraud, though only a fraction of profits made off them. Why so little prosecuted? Why too big to Jail? How many of big banks still too big to fail? (Keefe web rdg.)

Not covered but should know:

Theories of Crime & Drug Use (Mooney et al. Chs. 3 & 4)

Functionalist—crime as functional for society, strain theory, subcultural theory, and control / social bonding theory; Drug use due to rapid social change & weakened norms (e.g., changes in persrip. Meds.)

Conflict Theory – crime is related to economic inequality, who defines laws & who is (& is not) targeted by law enforcement; Drug use lead to stress alienation & stress due to drug & alcohol use, drug enforcement inequalities and which made illegal each reflect elites & power.

Symbolic Interactionism --- Crime -- Labeling theory (effects of crime labels), differential association learning crime from interaction. Drug use from definitions of them as pleasurable, from interaction with others (peers, etc.)

Baltimore Policing – What did Dept. of Justice find about discrimination & Use of force by Balt. Police? How are Balt. Police working to heal relations with community -- guardianship instead of “zero tolerance”?

Social Causes of crime, not just bad choices by individuals – lack of legitimate opportunities, poverty, unemployment, low levels of education, fragile families, etc. (Mooney et al. Ch. 4)

& How to reduce crime and prison populations-- Youth programs, social services, more legitimate opportunities, job training, drug rehab. for ex-offenders, etc. (Mooney et al., Ch 4)

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