Crime & Drugs



Crime & Drugs Lecture Note Outline

Lecture & Group Discussion Points:

Street Crime –Crime Rate vs. Public perception of crime, types of street crimes (D&B ch 8); “

White Collar Crime --Definition & costs to society vs. Street crime ((D&B ch. 8)

Drug Crime –Drug Arrest totals trends, vs. other types of crime, & largest type of drug arrests are for marijuana possession,– War on drugs is largely war on marijuana… (D&B ch. 8).

Scenes from movie “Traffic”

Drug Demand in US key to problem

Drug Supply from source countries, & difficulties in stopping, given US demand –

Focus on US drug policy on stopping supply,, but largely unsuccessful…

Link Video to Flaws of War on Drugs (Benavies rdg. 29 in C&V).

War on Drugs as a losing battle, but lots more imprisonment – user punishment not deter use, profits are too high, & street-level dealers easily replaced / hydra effect , drug prison sentences compared to other crimes; supply & demand key issues underlying drug crime, esp. demand (Benavie rdg. 29 in C&V, D&B ch. 8).

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

Example of new approach—Colorado and Washington state recently legalize marijuana possession, conflict with federal policy… Also, DC & MD recently decriminalize possession of small amount of marijuana (lecture only)

How are drugs categorized as dangerous by govt --(Schedules 1-5)- health effects role? Realistic assessment?

Historical roots of drug illegality and relationship to racial prejudice. Alcohol and Tobacco annual deaths, legal drugs, compared to annual deaths from all illegal drugs combined (Benavie rdg. 29 in C&V)

Baltimore drug policy changes – treat demand side of problem with increased access to drug treatment, cost & crime advantages of treatment over imprisonment for users (Shenk web rdg). [Also, case study at end of D&B ch. 8 also talks about drug and alcohol treatment programs key for ex-offenders staying out of jail.]

Cost of imprisonment compared to drug treatment-- & results of treatment $ (Shenk web rdg.).

US prison Population growth since 1980, & role of increasing drug enforcement (D&B, ch. 8) {see also “prison industrial complex” as part of this growth]

Extreme Race and ethnic inequality of US drug prisoner population vs. nearly equal rates of drug use. [Lecture only]

Impact of increasing border enforcement on illegal / unauthorized Mexican immigration; & Impact of Latino immigrants on US city crime rates (Massey & Sampson web rdg)

White-Collar crime very expensive to society, but little prosecuted, few penalties. (D&B ch. 8)

Examples -Bank money laundering for drug cartels (Smith et al. web rdg.), Fraud-ing of investors at Goldman Sachs, etc (accounting fraud at Lehman Bros. bank) key part of economic recession (Schoenberg et al. Web rdg.)

“Code of the Streets” Centered on respect, & roots of code, “Decent” families vs. “Street” families. How did “code” emerge, what social conditions in neighborhoods? (Anderson rdg. 28 in Ch & Vig)

NYC “Stop & Frisk” policy --extreme racial & ethnic inequality who is stopped and searched, btu white more likely to be guilty when searched … (Goldstein & Lowery web rdg.)

Social Structural Causes or crime, not just bad choices by individuals – lack of legitimate opportunities, poverty, unemployment, low levels of education, fragile families, etc. (D&B ch. 8)

& How to reduce crime and prison populations-- Youth programs, social services, more legitimate opportunities, job training, drug rehab. for ex-offenders, etc. (D&B ch. 8)

Not covered but should know

Effect of increasing imprisonment rates on families and communities (Clear rdg. 30 in C&V);

Also, see Group Discussion Q’s for list of key topics in readings (many addressed in class)

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