The Chronic Drunkenness Offender

Abstract

The social roles which men play are more often the result of net works of social relations than the product of any individual's attributes. The behavior of chronic drunkenness offenders, ordinarily explained by their proper ties as individuals, is viewed here as a consequence of conformity to Skid Row social norms. Skid Row subculture, its social functions, how people come to it and behave once there are discussed. The half-way house, a new method of rehabilitating offenders which seeks to capitalize on this network of deviant so cial relations, is then described.