Official Arrest Research Articles

Reconciling Race and Class Differences in Self-Reported and Official Estimates of Delinquency

This paper addresses the general question of whether or not the satisfactory resolution of the methodological criticisms of self-report research will result in greater consistency between self-reported and official data with respect to the race and class distributions of delinquent behavior. We review the specific methodological criticisms of self-report delinquency (SRD) research; discuss the use of a new SRD measure in a national youth study; compare the race/class findings of this study with previous SRD research and with official arrest data; and examine the epidemiological and theoretical implications of these findings. Both class and race differentials are found in this study. It appears likely that the differences between these findings and those in earlier SRD studies are a result of differences in the specific SRD measures used. Additionally, these findings suggest a logical connection between SRD and official measures, and they provide some insight into the mechanism whereby official data produce more extreme race and class (as well as age and sex) differences than do self-report measures. The results of this study also have implications for previous tests of theoretical propositions which used self-report delinquency data. In short, prior self-report measures may not have been sensitive enough to capture the theoretically important differences in delinquency involvement.

Relationship between addict crime and drug treatment: two cohorts examined.

Patient samples from methodone maintenance and detoxification programs are examined for their patterns of criminal activity before, during, and after treatment. Demographic, sociological, and criminal history variables are tested for their ability to account for changes in arrest patterns over time. While the number of arrested decline after entering treatment, certain groups remain at high risk of arrest and/or confiction. Patterns of crime as measured by official arrest statistics do not appear stable over time for the treatment cohorts.

The Illinois Experience

In order to examine arrest rate changes of drug patients after their participation in drug abuse rehabilitation programs, the present study analyzes interview reports and official arrest records of 772 patients who participated in the Illinois Drug Abuse Program, a methadone-centered multi-modality program. The data indicate that arrest rates among the sample have dropped significantly during their participation in the Program. The reduction rate, based on self- reported data, is 43 per cent. The reduction rate, based on the official arrest records, is 62 per cent. The official arrest record study shows further that the reduction of arrest rate is greatest for vice crimes, second greatest for narcotics offenses, and third greatest for prop erty crimes.