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Affiliation
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Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. |
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Abstract
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Current issues in alcohol-related violence are highlighted through the examination of correlational studies between alcohol and violent crime. Alcohol is associated with violent crime at a greater than chance level and at a significantly higher level than it is associated with nonviolent crime. Heavy drinking and a verbal argument usually precede the violent act and the victim is as likely as the offender to initiate the altercation. However, it is the precipitator of the altercation who is more likely to be intoxicated. Alcohol and aggression are more strongly related than expected with violent offenders demonstrating psychopathology. Marital violence appears related to alcohol independent of other marital problems. Although there exists a strong correlational relationship between alcohol and violent crime, the nature of the evidence prohibits the establishment of a causal link. In particular, methodological problems, such as a lack of appropriate comparison groups, make it difficult to draw conclusions in this area.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study by Murdoch et al. was to re-examine research literature connecting alcohol use with such violent crimes as assault and homicide.
METHODOLOGY:
This literature review of the existing research on the relationship between alcohol consumption and violent crime was divided into seven major questions or categories: does the research support a connection between alcohol and violent crime? who has usually been drinking during a violent crime? when does alcohol-related violence occur? where does alcohol-related violence occur? how are violent crime and alcohol related to psychiatric diagnoses? how is alcohol related to family violence? and how are violent crime and alcohol related to other drug use. Many possible methodological problems were detailed in this study such as the following: often offenders are not apprehended right after the crime making it hard to document alcohol consumption; often offenders will under-report or over-report alcohol consumption depending on which would benefit his/her case; much of the research is based on police records which might not be accurate or complete; alcoholic offenders often have a higher recidivism rate which could potentially bias an analysis; and often those involved in drunken brawls are less likely to receive needed medical attention which might lead to preventable deaths.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
There were only six studies cited which utilized comparison groups when analyzing the relationship between violent crime and alcohol consumption. Most of these studies supported a positive connection between alcohol consumption and violent crime. This study, however, warned that this relationship only shows a higher likelihood of being arrested when committing violent crimes while using alcohol and does not prove that drinking leads to violence or that violent offenders are more likely to be drinkers. When asking the question of who had been drinking, this study concluded that the research showed that in homicide cases an equal number of victims and perpetrators were drinking. These studies also revealed that the precipitator of the violence was more likely to be intoxicated; that alcohol was more likely to be present when quarrelling had preceded the assault; and the amount of alcohol consumed was usually substantial. When analyzing when alcohol-related violence occurred, most studies found that more alcohol-related assaults and homicides took place on the weekends. However, most of these results were not compared to the alcohol consumption of the broader population on the weekends. The small body of research documenting where alcohol-related violence occurred found that almost all marital disputes involving alcohol occurred in the home while other assaults occurred almost equally in licensed premises, private residences and elsewhere. Studies which have focused on the alcohol consumption of violent offenders with suspected psychopathology found that a large number of these offenders used alcohol at the time of committing the crimes. Most studies observed connections between alcohol consumption and family violence such as: abusive husbands scored higher on an alcoholism screening test than other husbands; battering husbands who are the heaviest drinkers were abusive when drunk or sober while husbands who were moderate drinkers were more likely to be abusive when drunk. The few studies researching drug usage and violent behavior have found connections between them; but these connections were not as strong as the connections between alcohol and violence.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors stressed the need for more studies with comparison groups. They suggested that a relationship between alcohol consumption and violent crime does exist but that there is not enough research to claim a causal link. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Alcohol Related Violence
KW - Alcohol Related Crime
KW - Substance Use Effects
KW - Physical Assault Causes
KW - Homicide Causes
KW - Violence Causes
KW - Alcohol Use Effects
KW - Literature Review
KW - Adult Violence
KW - Adult Offender
KW - Adult Substance Use
KW - Offender Substance Use
KW - Adult Crime
KW - Crime Causes
Language: en |