U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Drugs, Crime, and the Justice System: A National Report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics

NCJ Number
133652
Editor(s)
M W Zawitz
Date Published
1992
Length
233 pages
Annotation
Intended as a comprehensive resource, this volume details the nature and extent of illegal drug use in the United States, the relationship between drugs and crime, the dynamics of the illegal drug business, past and current drug laws and drug control policies, and the justice system's current response.
Abstract

Emphasizing the intersection of crime control and drug control, the volume also discusses the roles of the medical, educational, and financial systems and presents information from several disciplines. It explains the drug-crime relationship; patterns and consequences of drug abuse; and the cultivation, manufacturing, and sales of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, PCP, and other illegal drugs. Other sections provide a history of drug control efforts and public attitudes toward drugs; an overview of past and current drug control laws, policies, and programs; and a discussion of the purpose, techniques, and legal and program aspects of drug testing. The societal costs of illegal drug use are also described, including criminal justice system expenditures, expenditures for drug treatment and prevention, and costs such as lost productivity that are difficult to quantify. The concluding sections detail the justice system's response and focus on drug law enforcement at the Federal, State, and local levels; prosecution and adjudication; sentencing and sanctions for juvenile and adult offenders; and correctional populations. Figures, tables, reference lists, form on which to order other clearinghouse publications, and index