Library Index :: Drug Abuse and Addiction Reference :: Alcohol—What it Is and What it Does - What Constitutes A Drink?, Alcohol Consumption In Theunited States, The Short-term Effects Of Alcohol On The Body

Alcohol—What it Is and What it Does - Alcohol, Violence, And Crime

Alcohol and Crime

In 2002, 33.4% of convicted jail inmates reported that they had been under the influence of alcohol alone (not in combination with any other drug) when they committed their offenses. This figure has decreased since 1996. A higher percentage of jail inmates used alcohol when committing a violent offense than did those committing other types of crimes, such as property or drug offenses. (See Table 3.19.)

Two-thirds of jail inmates reported regular use of alcohol in 2002, unchanged since 1996 (see Table 3.19). Whites are more likely to be regular alcohol users than are African-Americans or Hispanics, and males are more likely than females to drink alcohol regularly.

TABLE 3.17
Drivers in fatal crashes with BAC 0.08 g/dl or higher, by age, gender, and vehicle type, 1993 and 2003
SOURCE: "Table 6. Drivers in Fatal Crashes with BAC 0.08 g/dl or Higher by Age, Gender, and Vehicle Type, 1993 and 2003," in Traffic Safety Facts 2003 Data: Alcohol, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2003/809761.pdf (accessed February 24, 2005)

1993 2003
BAC 0.08 g/dl or higher BAC 0.08 g/dl or higher Change
in percentages,
1993-2003
Drivers involved
in fatal crashes		 Total number
of drivers		 Number Percent
of total		 Total number
of drivers		 Number Percent
of total
Total drivers
    Total* 53,401 12,576 24 58,156 11,996 21 −13
Drivers by age groups (years)
16-20 7,256 1,336 18 7,693 1,446 19 6
21-24 6,406 2,199 34 6,234 2,010 32 −6
25-34 13,038 4,193 32 11,218 2,983 27 −16
35-44 9,738 2,587 27 10,967 2,611 24 −11
45-54 5,970 1,101 18 8,972 1,696 19 6
55-64 3,824 534 14 5,407 628 12 −14
65-74 3,031 232 8 3,094 234 8 0
75+ 2,817 120 4 3,294 166 5 25
Drivers by sex
Male 39,556 10,578 27 42,314 10,074 24 −11
Female 13,082 1,797 14 15,091 1,783 12 −14
Drivers by vehicle type
Passenger cars 30,060 7,160 24 26,030 5,749 22 −8
Light trucks 15,207 4,080 27 21,944 4,764 22 −19
Large trucks 4,271 100 2 4,608 64 1 −50
Motorcycles 2,471 932 38 3,749 1,077 29 −24
*Numbers shown for groups of drivers do not add to the total number of drivers due to unknown or other data not included.
BAC is blood alcohol content

TABLE 3.18
Nonoccupants with BAC 0.08 g/dl or higher killed in motor vehicle crashes, by age group, 1993 and 2003
SOURCE: "Table 4. Nonoccupants with BAC 0.08 g/dl or Higher Killed in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Age Group, 1993 and 2003," in Traffic Safety Facts 2003 Data: Alcohol, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd30/NCSA/TSF2003/809761.pdf (accessed February 24, 2005)

1993 2003
Blood alcohol content
0.08 g/dl or higher		 Blood alcohol content
0.08 g/dl or higher		 Change in
percentage,
1993-2003
Nonoccupant
fatalities		 Total number
of fatalities		 Number Percent
of total		 Total number
of fatalities		 Number Percent
of total
Pedestrian fatalities by age group (years)
16-20 284 91 32 298 86 29 −9
21-24 292 160 55 263 143 54 −2
25-34 944 541 57 565 269 48 −16
35-44 908 500 55 844 451 53 −4
45-64 1,053 399 38 1,319 504 38 0
65+ 1,259 165 13 974 98 10 −23
    Total* 5,649 1,919 34 4,749 1,579 33 −3
Pedalcyclist fatalities
    Total 816 147 18 622 147 24 33
*Includes pedestrians 0 to 15 years old and pedestrians of unknown age.

A 2001 study of adult male arrestees in thirty-two U.S. cities found many had used alcohol before committing their crimes (U.S. Department of Justice, ADAM Preliminary Finds on Drug Use and Drug Markets, January–September 2001). In more than half the thirty-two sites, more than 50% of the adult TABLE 3.19
Alcohol use of jail inmates, 1996 and 2002
SOURCE: Doris J. James, "Table 11. Prior Alcohol Use of Jail Inmates, 2002 and 1996," in Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pji02.pdf (accessed March 1, 2005)

Percent of jail inmates who drank alcohol
Regularlya At the time of the offenseb
Characteristics 1996 2002 1996 2002
Total 66.3% 66.0% 40.8% 33.4%
Gender
Male 67.7% 67.4 % 41.9% 34.9%
Female 54.5 55.4 31.1 22.2
Race/Hispanic originc
Whited 76.5 75.3% 48.2% 38.5%
Blackd 61.0 62.2 33.6 29.3
Hispanic 56.9 56.1 38.2 30.1
Most serious offense
Violent 67.7% 65.7% 40.7% 37.6%
Property 64.3 65.9 33.1 28.5
Drug 59.8 62.9 28.9 22.4
Public-order, excluding DWI 68.6 65.0 32.7 26.1
aIncludes inmates who reported ever drinking at least once a week for a month, as well as
drinking daily or at least once a week during the year before the current offense.
bIncludes all inmates with a current conviction or prior conviction.
cJail inmates who identified more than one race not shown.
dNon-Hispanic inmates.

arrestees reported binge drinking in the thirty days before they were interviewed. (Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion.) Rates ran as low as 30.9% of arrestees in New York City to 70% in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Other examples include: in Phoenix, Arizona, 56% of arrestees reported binge drinking; 58.4% in Spokane, Washington; 56.6% in Oklahoma City; and 57.2% in Denver, Colorado. A significant percentage of male arrestees also reported heavy drinking in the thirty days before their interview as well. (Heavy drinking is defined as five or more drinks on five or more occasions.)

More than two million alcohol-related arrests are made each year, representing nearly a quarter of total arrests. In Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that there were

  • 1,067,185 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol.
  • 487,123 arrests for liquor law violations (open container laws, selling to minors, etc.).
  • 515,007 arrests for alcohol-related disorderly conduct.
  • 431,939 arrests for drunkenness.
  • 21,102 arrests for alcohol-related vagrancy.

Alcohol and Violence among College Students

During the college years, alcohol abuse becomes a serious problem for some students. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health released in June 2002 found that 6% of college students met criteria for alcohol dependence (or alcoholism) and 31% met the definition for alcohol abuse. More than two of every five students reported at least one symptom of these conditions. Some young people experiment with alcohol, experience negative effects, and discontinue use, of course. But such figures cause concern, in part, because alcohol abuse often begins or accelerates during the college years.

According to the NIAAA, an estimated fourteen hundred college students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four die annually from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. Another five hundred thousand in this same age group are thought to be unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol each year. Some six hundred thousand students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. More than seventy thousand report alcohol-related sexual assaults or date rapes.

According to the most recent College Alcohol Survey, 1979-2000 (Fairfax, VA, and West Chester, PA: George Mason University and West Chester University, 2001), in 2000 students believed that about 60% of all violent-behavior incidents on campus involved alcohol and that about 55 to 60% of campus property damage was the result of alcohol use.

Alcohol and Domestic Violence

Researchers have also reported a high level of alcohol use in cases of domestic violence, both child abuse and partner abuse. In addition, heavy drinking, both before and after marriage, is considered a risk factor for potential domestic violence. In some cases of spousal abuse, both husband and wife have been drinking before the violence occurs; in other cases, only one spouse has been drinking.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 66% of victims who suffered violence by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend reported that alcohol had been a factor. Among spouse victims, about 75% were perceived to be alcohol-related. In contrast, only about 31% of stranger victimizations were perceived to be alcohol-related.

Studies of domestic violence have found that alcohol does not cause abuse but that it is used by abusers as an excuse for the behavior. Alcohol abusers often claim that they are out of character when they are drunk and, consequently, not accountable for their behavior. Dr. Richard Gelles, the Joanne T. and Raymond B. Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence at the University of Pennsylvania, observes in Intimate Violence in Families, 3rd edition (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997):

[In many cases,] individuals who wish to carry out a violent act become intoxicated in order to carry out the act. Alcohol leads to violence because it sets off a primary conflict over drinking that can extend to arguments over spending money, working, and sex. In these cases, drinking may serve as a trigger for long-standing marital disputes and disagreements; the existence of suitable and acceptable justifications for violence serves to normalize and neutralize the violence. These justifications also may play a causal role in family violence by providing, in advance, an excuse for behavior that is normally prohibited by societal and familial norms and standards.

User Comments Add a comment…