COCAINE USE AND VIOLENT ARREST: A REGRESSION MODEL WITH MICRO-LEVEL FACTORS

ABSTRACT

A positive relationship between cocaine use and violence is assumed in American social and political discourse. We examined that relationship with data on arrestees in 23 urban areas from the NIJ Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program. Logistic regression revealed that cocaine use actually decreases the probability of a violent arrest. This negative relationship held across gender and race lines, net of the effects of individual demographic characteristics and criminal history. While the strength of the relationship did not differ across race, a significantly stronger relationship between cocaine use and non-violent arrest was observed for female arrestees. Our findings substantiate a link between cocaine use and nonviolent economic crime.