Studies show that it does, and that’s good news for the criminal justice system

1. Can Psychedelic Drugs Reduce
Criminal Behavior?
Studies show that it does, and that’s good news for the criminal justice
system
Enrico Sayo Following
Nov 27 · 4 min read

2. Photo by Peter Scherbatykh on Unsplash
riminal behavior is loosely defined as any kind of antisocial conduct
punishable by law, considered to be a violation of social, moral, and
traditional norms. Such kind of behavior has harmful effects on society and
often found to be resistant to intervention.
In a 2018 FBI report, drug-related crimes and property crimes are among
the top criminal offenses in the United States, comprising 16% and 11% of
all arrests, respectively. Violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and
aggravated assault only accounts for 5% of offenses — but the cost to the
society and suffering of the victims remains high.
Recidivism or the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend following
release from prison is also quite alarming, with as much as 76.6% get re-
arrested within five years of release.
Various interventions have been developed to reduce the likelihood of
recidivism: employment programs, Moral Reconation Therapy, and
cognitive-behavioral approaches all show little to no effect. Moreover,
violent crime offenders are the least likely to complete treatments and most
likely to re-offend after dropout.
C

3. Considering the implications of criminal behavior to society, novel and
effective interventions need to be developed. Researchers have turned to
psychedelics to explore this possibility.
Effects of psychedelic use on criminal behavior
Previous studies have suggested the effectiveness of classic psychedelics in
preventing criminal behavior.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, scientists have administered several LSD and
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy sessions to criminal offenders and
reported positive effects. Improvements in empathy, insight,
communication, and treatment engagement have been observed in most of
the participants. Unfortunately, the legal prohibition of psychedelics and
scarce funding has made it difficult for research to progress this area.
In the latest 2017 study, researchers looked into the relationship between
lifetime use of psilocybin and classic psychedelics (DMT, LSD, ayahuasca,
mescaline, peyote or San Pedro) with criminal behavior. Data was pooled
from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), involving over
480,000 adult respondents from 2002 to 2014.
The researchers reported promising findings in this study, which suggest
that psychedelics may be useful in discouraging criminal behavior. The

4. results saw reduced odds of arrest and perpetration of the following
offenses:
Larceny or theft: -27%
Property crimes: -22%
Violent crimes: -18%
Assault: -12%
In contrast, the lifetime use of all other illicit substances increased the odds
of criminal behavior and drug distribution.
The results of this study are consistent with many modern research
suggesting that psychedelics may have lasting psychological and prosocial
benefits.
Final thoughts
It is essential to understand that the latest research, despite encouraging
findings, has some limitations. For one, the results are based on a survey or
self-reports by the study participants — not direct observations of the
researchers. Self-reports are subject to response biases, which can affect the
accuracy of the findings.

5. The researchers have also been unable to identify the mechanism of action
of psychedelic drugs on antisocial behavior, which is expected since the
study is not in a clinical setting. Moreover, there is no information on doses
and frequency of psychedelic use that may have led to the reported
prosocial benfits.
Research on psychedelics has seen a resurgence in the last couple of years,
with a focus on exploring its potential in treating various mental conditions.
Such studies are useful as many offenders suffer from comorbidities that
elicit criminal behavior.
Should psychedelic-assisted therapy become an approved treatment option
in the future, criminal offenders are likely good candidates for such an
intervention. However, it is also my opinion that psychedelic-assisted
therapy should be received with consent and not institutionally-mandated.
Overall, this study is a step in the right direction and has provided helpful
insights on yet another potential benefit of psychedelic therapies.
. . .
Further reading

6. Psychedelic DMT Makes You Dream While Awake
Scientists look into brainwaves to nd out how DMT creates
an immersive dreamy experience
medium.com
Microdosing Psychedelics: Do the Bene ts
Outweigh the Risks?
A recent study suggests that the bene ts of microdosing
may not come without side e ects
medium.com
How Ego Death on Psychedelics A ect the Brain
Scientists discover how di erent parts of the brain
communicate on LSD-induced ego death
medium.com
. . .

7. References:
Crime in the United States (2018). Estimated Number of Arrests. Table 29.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Web.
Hendricks, Peter et al. The relationships of classic psychedelic use with
criminal behavior in the United States adult population. Journal of
Psychopharmacology. Oct 2017. Web.
Durose, MR, Cooper, AD, Snyder, HN (2014). Recidivism of prisoners
released in 30 states in 2005: Patterns from 2005 to 2010. Special Report.
Washington, DC: United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
Psychedelics Neuroscience Psychology Law Lsd
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