Drugs and Crime in Ireland by Johnny Connolly

Drugs and crime in Ireland –Ilac centre library Johnny Connolly Alcohol and Drug Research Unit: 8th September 2011

Overview• Background• The official picture – damned statistics• Understanding drug-related crime

Background

Background• International campaign against drugs• Misuse of Drugs Act 1977• Summer of 1996 – resurgence of heroin use and drug-related deaths• Anti-drug campaign• Local meetings, vigils and marches• Murder of Journalist Veronica Guerin• The state responds• Headshops

The official picture Trends in prosecutions for supply, possession and total drug offence prosecutions 1993–20051200010000 Drug supply (s158000 MDA) Drug possession6000 (s3MDA)4000 Total drug offences2000 0 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 19 19 19 19 20 20 20

Cannabis and possession offences compared 1995 - 20058000700060005000 Cannabis4000 Possession300020001000 0 03 04 95 98 99 00 05 01 02 96 97 19 20 20 20 20 19 19 19 19 20 20

Heroin and cocaine prosecutions compared 1995 - 2005140012001000800 Heroin600 Cocaine400200 0 95 96 03 97 00 01 02 04 98 99 05 19 19 19 20 20 20 19 20 20 20 19

Under 17 year old’s prosecuted for drug offences, by gender 1995- 2005600500400 Male300 Female200100 0 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20

Drug offences 2003-2008 16000 14000 12000 10000Number 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Total drug offences 5324 5798 8290 8924 11647 14374 Drug possession for personal use 3276 3761 5864 6107 8352 10746 Drug possession for supply 1715 1654 1983 2291 2654 2967

Cannabis and total seizures 12000 10000Number 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 All seizures 6362 8417 10444 9991 5494 Cannabis-type substances 3555 4243 5176 5652 2314

Other drug seizures 2000 1800 1600Number 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Ecstasy-type substances 1083 806 689 858 1173 730 90 Heroin 660 612 763 1254 1698 1611 1455 Cocaine 566 753 1045 1500 1749 1010 635 Amphetamines 211 145 125 277 235 126 72

But what are we missing? The ‘dark’ figure of crime law enforcement?• The law in statute & practice• 1 out of 4 crimes reported • Tolerance (of soft• 1 out of 11 if shoplifting drugs) included • Public Apathy/• 40% reported are not recorded disillusionment• ‘Dark figure’ higher for drug- • Fear of reprisal related crime (More serious crimes – corruption of govt., • Discretion and police, business and banking selective systems not explored) enforcement (eg• Most evidence relates to ‘street-level’ crime (theft, police and prison) burglary, robbery, assault)

The psycho-pharmacological model• Where effects of intoxication cause criminal, especially violent, behaviour• Consistent link between violent crime and alcohol• Link largely refuted in regard to heroin and cannabis, some evidence with crack cocaine• Social environment more of a powerful contributor to violence than effects of drugs

The economic model-drug use and acquisitive crime• Increase in economically-motivated crimes after addiction and reduction after treatment programmes• Garda study 1997 drug users responsible for 66% detected crime. 2004 study drug users responsible for 28% crime• Increased employment and treatment possible explanation Public perception of high association between drug use and violent crime not reflected in rates of violent crime by users• Drug users twice as likely to be caught offending as non-users

Two garda studies compared Keogh 1997 Furey and Browne 2004Crime as main income source 59% 13%Unemployment rate 84% 55%Drug first used - cannabis 51% 55%First introduced to drugs by afriend 81% 86%Drugs sourced from localdealer 46% 76%Number who had been toprison 81% 66%Estimated daily expenditure €51 €75

Systemic crime – illicit drug markets as a cause of crime• Understanding markets (Seizures, Price, Purity, Drug routes)• Stabilisation of local drug markets over time• local drug markets and community disturbance and anti-social behaviour• Drug users have relatively easy access to drugs in own areas• Local drug markets fear among local residents to co-operate with law enforcement due to reprisal from drug dealers• Involvement of organised crime: Europol reports majority of suspects are Irish nationals or involving non-Irish nationals associates of Irish nationals• Reports high levels of co-operation between Irish nationals across the drug market as ‘unique in European context• How organised is organised crime? (New law 2009)

The common cause model • Profile • Single, male, aged 14 to 30,• Drugs and crime • urban, living in the parental home, common elements of • from large and often broken delinquent or deviant families, lifestyle • left school before the legal minimum age of 16,• Drugs and crime not • high levels of unemployment, • best ever job being in the causally linked but lowest socio-economic class, both produced by • high number convictions and rates of recidivism, underlying social • a history of family members factors such as being in prison, • from local authority housing inequality and and areas of high levels of deprivation long-term unemployment.

Summarising the link between drugs and crime• Most drug users do not commit crimes other than those of possession• There is a link between some forms of illicit drug use and crime (Mostly heroin and cocaine).• Most problematic users receive prison sentences for drug-related offences rather than drug offences• Most problematic users began criminal career before drug use• Drug use speeds up the rate of offending• There is no clear causal link between drug use and crime• Links between alcohol and violent crime exist in evidence

Drug market research in Ireland• The illicit drug market in Ireland (Connolly 2005)• Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy (Connolly et al 2008)• Methods included:• In-depth interviews with users, sellers, drug treatment staff and police• Criminal justice data• Drug treatment data (National Drug Treatment Reporting System)• Key findings included:• Availability of crack cocaine originally centred in one Dublin city centre location• Dublin city market originally dominated by non-Irish nationals• Availability has extended beyond city centre hub into Dublin suburbs• Price is high and stable – such pricing may deter use for many users• Dealers employed a number of risk management strategies in response to policing – open market became closed• Illicit drug markets in Ireland (Connolly, forthcoming 2012)

Who is most affected by drug-related crime?

Community responses to streetlevel drug markets

State response – Criminal AssetsBureau & New Drug Laws

Policing communities orcommunity policing?

1992 – Drug barons reign1997 – Drug barons run

Changing nature of drug marketsHidden, Credit-based, Mobile, Violent,Younger

Consequences of drug markets for local communities• Intimidation and violence• No – go areas, particularly after dark• Community stigma• Development of gangs• Perpetuation of cycle of violence• Fear of reprisal• Breakdown in community cooperation• Failure of regeneration

Getting real about supply control• Third biggest market globally after oil and arms • Global value $94 billion, Wine & Beer $24 billion, Tobacco $21.6 • Street prices far higher massive profits from dealing • Retail value four times higher than the wholesale value• Little evidence supply control long-lasting impact on dealing levels – some evidence of containment/ displacement • Estimated that 10–20% available drugs seized • Amount undetected means long-term impact minimal • UK study 80% to be seized to have any real effect • Drug distribution adapt quickly, arrested dealers replaced • Demand inelastic for problematic users, relative to others • Increased prices may simply lead to more acquisitive crime

Is that a Celtic Tiger Isee? Whose law andorder?

Current approaches/challenges• National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016• Head shops and the internet• Legislation and the GNDU• Imprisonment• Dial to stop dealing and intimidation• Pilot - Family Support Group and GN Drugs Unit• Joint Policing Committees and Local Policing Fora

Debates• Legalisation/decriminalisation• Depenalisation• The Portuguese solution• The Dutch solution• Community based mediation and problem solving – restorative justice

Go raibh maith agatJCONNOLLY@HRB.IE

http://dublincitypubliclibraries.com	182
http://www.dublincitypubliclibraries.com	23
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	1

Drugs and Crime in Ireland by Johnny Connolly

by dubcilib

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

3 Embeds 206

Statistics

Drugs and Crime in Ireland by Johnny Connolly Webinar Transcript