Steven R. Belenko & Cassia Spohn 
Drugs, Crime, and Justice [EPUB ebook] 

Drugs, Crime, and Justice is an engaging, yet comprehensive, analysis of the interrelationships among drug use/abuse, crime, and justice. The first four chapters introduce readers to the interrelationships between drugs and crime, while the second later chapters provide readers with an overview of historical and contemporary policies, as well as a comprehensive review of research on policing drug markets, arresting drug offenders, and prosecution and sentencing of drug offenders in state and federal courts. The authors also examine and assess the impact of the war on drugs and conclude with a discussion of recent policy changes such as drug courts and reform/repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and an examination of new and emerging drug policies in the 21st Century.

Inhoudsopgave

CHAPTER 1: DRUGS, CRIME, AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM: OVERVIEW

Drug Use in the United States

Arrests and Incarceration for Drug-Related Crime

The Connections among Drug Abuse, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System

Goal of the Book and Overview of the Remaining Chapters

CHAPTER 2: PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS AND DRUG USE/ABUSE

Basic Concepts about Psychoactive Drugs

Tolerance, Dependence, Abuse and Addiction

Drug Abuse and Drug Misuse

Drug Dependence and Addiction

Factors Influencing Drugs’ Effects on Behavior and Mood

Classes of Drugs and the Drug Enforcement Administration Schedules

Classes and Types of Illegal Drugs and Their Effects

Marijuana

Focus on an Issue: Marijuana as the “Gateway Drug”?

Central Nervous System Depressants: Opiates

Heroin

Synthetic Opiates (Opioids)

Sedative-Hypnotics

Stimulant Drugs

Cocaine

Crack Cocaine

Amphetamines

Methamphetamine

Hallucinogens

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

Psilocybin (Mushrooms) and Peyote (Mescaline)

Phencyclidine (PCP)

Club Drugs

Summary: Psychoactive Drugs and Their Effects

CHAPTER 3: THEORIES OF DRUG USE AND ABUSE

Explaining Drug Use and Abuse

Is Addiction a Moral Problem or a Disease?

Biological and Genetic Theories

Psychological Theories

Sociological Theories

Summary: Theories of Drug Use and Abuse

CHAPTER 4: DRUG ABUSE AND CRIME

The Drugs-Crime Connection

Drug Use Among Offenders

Drug Use Among Offenders Under Correctional Supervision

The Meaning of the Drugs-Crime Connection?

Drugs and Crime: A Complex Relationship

Theories Explaining the Drugs-Crime Connection

Drugs and Property Crime

Drugs and Violence

Stimulant Drugs and Violence

Other Drugs and Violence

Focus on an Issue: Gangs and Drug Dealing

Summary: Drug Abuse and Crime

CHAPTER 5: THE WAR ON DRUGS: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES

The War on Drugs: A Historical Overview

The First War on Drugs: Alcohol and Prohibition

Criminalizing Drug Use: Targeting Opium, Morphine and Other Mood-Altering Drugs

The Harrison Tax Act of 1914

Focus on an Issue: Racial and Ethnic Prejudice and the Case for Criminalizing Drug Use

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

Enforcing the Drug-Control Legislation

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970

The Contemporary War on Drugs

Sentencing Reform and Sentencing Guidelines

Sentencing Guidelines for Drug Offenses

Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Statutes

Sentences Imposed on Offenders Convicted of Offenses with Mandatory Penalties

Focus on an Issue: The Crack-Power Cocaine Disparity

Criticisms of Mandatory Minimums

Drug-Free School Zones

Reducing the Supply of Drugs

Summary: The War on Drugs

CHAPTER 6: POLICING DRUGS: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES

Police and the War on Drugs: A Focus on Arresting Drug Users and Sellers

Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests

Explaining Increases in Arrest Rates for Drug Offenders

Did Arrests Increase Because Drug Use Increased?

Did Arrests Increase as a Result of Changes in Policies and Practices?

The Effect of Changes in Policing Strategies

Stop and Frisk Procedures

Pretext Traffic Stops

Drug Courier Profiles

Financial Incentives To Fight the War on Drugs

Focus on an Issue: Policing for Profit—Drug-Related Forfeitures

The Racial Disparity in Arrest Rates

Do Blacks Use or Sell Drugs at Higher Rates than Whites?

Are Police More Likely to Arrest Blacks than Whites for Drug Offenses?

Summary: Policing Drugs and Drug Offenders

CHAPTER 7: PROSECUTING DRUG OFFFENDERS IN STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS

Explaining Decisions of Prosecutors and Judges: The Focal Concerns Perspective

Drug Offenders in State and Federal Courts

Drug Offenders in State Courts

Drug Offenders in Federal Courts

Prosecutors’ Charging and Plea Bargaining Decisions

Research on Prosecutors’ Charging Decisions

Charging Decisions in State Court Systems

Charging Decisions in the Federal Court System

Focus on an Issue: Prosecution of Pregnant Women Who Use/Abuse Drugs

Filing Charges that Trigger Mandatory Minimum Sentences

U.S. Attorneys and the Substantial Assistance Departure

Focus on an Issue: Substantial Assistance Departures and Mandatory Minimum

Sentences: Melendez v. United States

Research on Use of Substantial Assistance Departures

Summary: Prosecuting Drug Offenders

CHAPTER 8: SENTENCING DRUG OFFENDERS

Trends in Sentencing Drug Offenders

Focus on an Issue: The Supreme Court and the Substantial Assistance Departure

Modeling the Sentencing Process

Disparity and Discrimination in Sentencing

Types of Sentencing Disparity

Types of Sentencing Discrimination

Warranted Versus Unwarranted Disparity

Gender Disparities in Sentencing Drug Offenders

Focus on an Issue: Changes in the Racial Dynamics of Women’s Incarceration

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing Drug Offenders

Disparity Versus Discrimination in Sentencing Drug Offenders

Race and Imprisonment

Race/Ethnicity and Sentencing of Drug Offenders in State and Federal Courts

The “Dangerous Drug Offender” in State and Federal Court

Summary: Sentencing Drug Offenders: Severity, Disparity and Discrimination

CHAPTER 9: THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON DRUGS

The Impact of the War on Drugs on Use of Illegal Drugs

Focus on an Issue: Malign Neglect?

The Impact of the War on Drugs on the Prison Population

The Imprisonment Binge

Mass Incarceration of Drug Offenders

The Characteristics of Imprisoned Drug Offenders

Focus on an Issue: The Effect of Imprisonment on Recidivism Rates for Felony Drug Offenders

Race and Imprisonment for Drug Offenses

Gender and Imprisonment for Drug Offenses

The Impact of the War on Drugs on Crime: A Focus on Policing

Explaining the “New York Murder Mystery”

The Effect of Drug Arrests on Crime

The Effects of Policing Strategies Designed to Reduce Illegal Drug Activity and Other Types of Crime

Displacement and Diffusion—Does Crime Simply Move Around the Corner?

The Collateral Consequences of the War on Drugs

Focus on an Issue: The Effect on Imprisonment on Employment Prospects

Summary: The Impact of the War on Drugs

CHAPTER 10: DRUGS, CRIME AND JUSTICE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Public Health Approaches: A Focus on Demand and Harm Reduction

Treating Drug-Involved Offenders: Effectiveness of Different Models

Diversion

Focus on an Issue: Should Drug Dealers be Eligible for Treatment Diversion if They Also Use Drugs?

Jail Treatment

Prison Treatment

Treatment under Community Corrections Supervision

Drug Courts

Key Elements of Drug Courts

Do Drug Courts Work?

Medication Assisted Treatment

Modifying Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the 21st Century

New Approaches: More Effective Solutions?

The Debate over Decriminalization and Legalization of Illicit Drugs

Legalization

Decriminalization

Potential Benefits and Problems from Legalization and Decriminalization

Prescription and Maintenance Models

Decriminalizing and Legalizing Marijuana: Medical Marijuana, Decriminalization, and Legalization

Medical Marijuana

Decriminalization and Legalization of Marijuana

Reimagining and Creating New Approaches to the Drugs, Crime and Justice Problem

Over de auteur

Cassia Spohn is School Director and Foundation Professor of Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. She is the author of several books, including The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (with Sam Walker and Miriam De Lone) and How Do Judges Decide? The Search for Fairness and Equity in Sentencing. She has published a number of articles examining prosecutors’ charging decisions in sexual assault cases and exploring the effect of race/ethnicity on charging and sentencing decisions. Her current research interests include the effect of race and gender on court processing decisions, victim characteristics and case outcomes in sexual assault cases, judicial decision making, sentencing of drug offenders, and the deterrent effect of imprisonment. In 1999, she was awarded the University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award.