title: Methamphetamine use and criminal behavior.
abstract: This research seeks to broaden our understanding of methamphetamine's (meth's) place within the study of drugs and crime. Through extensive court records research and interviews with 200 offenders in local jails in western Colorado, this research contributes to the creation of a meth user profile and begins to identify the place of meth in the drug-crime nexus. The study compares the criminal behavior of meth users with other drug users, finding that meth users are more likely than other drug users to be drunk or high at the time of arrest and claim their crimes were related to drug use in other ways. A content analysis of criminal records demonstrates that meth users have more extensive criminal records and are more likely than other drug users to commit property crimes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5250, USA. mgizzi@ilstu.edu
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gizzi
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gerkin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003120:Colorado; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013800:Theft / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008694:Methamphetamine