Psychological Reports, 1975, 37, 1177-1178. @ Psychological Reports 1975

PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE LIONEL P. SOLURSW University o f Toronto and Toronto W s r t m Hospital Summary.-This study in progress examines drug-relatedness in violent crimes, primarily on rhe basis of a detailed history and examination. 17 pretrial cases seen in private practice with reference to non-drug criminal charges are reported. A significant relationship with alcohol was noted in 70.6% of the cases. The unusually high relationship in this pre-trial sample between heavy alcohol use and immediately subsequent homicide-related charges (85.7%) at least supports previous findings, and in company with other post-conviction data suggests both a higher degree of relatedness than previously reported and the possibility that rned~co.legalmaneuvers related to intoxication may be used to lessen the seriousness of the charge on which a conviction is finally obtained. Tinklenberg's thorough reviews of the literature (Tinklenberg, 1972, 1973) suggest a significant association between violent crime and alcohol (and probably barbiturates) and a negative link between violent crime and use of marihuana. Behavioural research has supported the probability of some relationship between alcohol ingestion and aggression (Shuntich & Taylor, 1972; Taylor & Gammon, in press). Recent presentations to meeungs of the American Psychiatric Association (Rada, 1974; Tinklenberg, 1975) demonstrate an overrepresentation of heavy alcohol use at the time of commission of violent crimes and an underrepresentation of marihuana. The Final Report of The Commission of Inquiry into the Non-medical Use of Drugs (Canada, 1973) and the Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (Tinklenberg, 1973b) present the same conclusions. Most retrospective research has been done with populations of incarcerated convicted criminals and implicates significant alcohol intoxication in one- to two-thirds of murders, attempted murders, manslaughters, rapes and assaults. This writer is in the process of examining a series of pre-trial medical-legal referrals to identify support or lack thereof for the above findings in a pre-trial population and to note possible differences in incidence of apparent drug-crime relationships in this, as opposed to the incarcerated, convicted population. Thus far it has been possible to review 19 criminal cases seen in depth in the writer's private practice over the past three years (civil cases, telephone discussions, criminal cases seen in hospital and court appearances without examining the accused are excluded). The series is to be continued. Of the 1 9 seen so far in the series, 17 ( 1 4 men, 3 women; age range 1 8 to 44 yr.; mean age 23.5 yr.) were accused of nondrug offenses, which acrs it appeared they had committed. Based on history alone, all 17 were apparently users of alcohol, G ( ? 7 ) probably used cannabis, and a total of 10 used other self-administered psychoactive drugs (this included 7 users of 3 or more selfadministered, non-prescribed drugs). Of the 17 non-drug offense criminal acts (as charged), a significant relationship appeared in h e history between alcohol (alone or with other drugs) and the acts in 12 (70.6%) of the cases. Cannabis was implicated (along with extremely heavy alcohol intake) in one case (5.9%). Perhaps more interesting, alcohol in significant quanuties was reported in association with 6 of the 7 (85.7 % ) homicide-related charges. 'Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Univeniry of Toronto and Associate Head, Dept. of Psychiatry, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada M5T 2S8.

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Even allowing for some skewing of the sample referred because of the writer's known association with the NMUD field and keeping in mind the usual percentages (based on convicted samples) one would expect anyhow, it appears thac thus far the findings reinforce the conclusions in the general literature. When one notes thac these percentages are unusually high in relation to homicide-related charges, it may be postulated that the association between alcohol and such crimes is higher than usually reported, but that the percentages drop off after trial because a high number are referred for consultation, an attempt to use the intoxicated state to lessen the charge on which a conviction is finally obtained. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the lesser the charge, the higher the reported association with alcohol, e.g., the Final Report of the Canadian Commission in 1973 gave the following associations with alcoholism and problem drinkers: murder, 33%; attempted murder, 38%; manslaughter, 54%; assaults, 61%. While the general overrepresentation of alcohol is well established, it is not yet clear whether the relationship would consistently be higher in pre-trial referrals than in those examined post-conviction. For this reason, this group of referrals will be continued and compared with the author's general referrals from other sources. It would be helpful if ocher writers, for whom medical-legal referrals might be selected on slightly different bases, would also report their findings. REFERENCES SHUNTICH,R. J., & TAYLOR,S. P. The effects of alcohol on human physical aggression. j . exp. Res. Pers., 1972, 6 , 34-38. TAYLOR,S. P., & G ~ o N C., B. The effects of type and dose of alcohol on human physical aggression. 1. Pws. soc. Psychol., in press. T~NKLENBERG,J. R. Alcohol and violence. In P.Bourne 81 R. Fox (Eds.), Akoholism-progress in resewch and treatment. New York: Academic Press, 1973. Chap. 8. (.a ).

TINKLENBERG, J. Drugs and crime. In Drug use in America: problem in perspective, the technical papers o f the Second Report of the National Commission on Marihuand and Drug Abuse. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Gov't Print. Off., 1973. Vol. I. Pp. 242-299. ( b )

Accepted October 22, 1975.

Psychoactive drugs, crime and violence.

Psychological Reports, 1975, 37, 1177-1178. @ Psychological Reports 1975 PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE LIONEL P. SOLURSW University o f Toro...
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