Suchergebnisse

AbstractRacial residential segregation is a pervasive and persistent feature of life in urban America. The consequences of segregation are numerous and are generally deleterious for minority populations. One consequence of segregation is inflated rates of crime in segregated areas. However, the study of segregation and crime is limited to a handful of studies and many questions remain unanswered. These include: (i) Does the criminogenic effect of segregation remain when research employs a unit of analysis other than cities (e.g., neighborhoods, regions)? (ii) What is the primary theoretical mechanism by which racial segregation produces crime? (iii) What types of mediating processes can attenuate the criminogenic effect of segregation? The current article will summarize the interdisciplinary literature on segregation and crime and discuss avenues for future research.

"This engaging and throughly updated text provides a cross-national perspective on the use and regulation of both legal and illegal drugs. Drugs and Drug Policy examines and critiques drug policies in the United States and abroad in terms of their scope, goals, and effectiveness. Authors Clayton J. Mosher and Scott Akins also discuss the physiological, psychological, and behavioural effects of legal and illicit drugs; the patterns and correlates of use; theories of the causes of drug use; and the policies that govern that usage"--

The changing landscape of marijuana -- The larger picture - the social, political, and legal history of marijuana -- Marijuana : the plant, its acute, and chronic effects, addictive potential, and medicinal applications -- Marijuana demonization -- Marijuana demonization- agents and agencies -- Medical and recreational marijuana legalization policies -- Unfinished business and emerging issues

There is considerable variation in the prevalence, etiology and consequences of alcohol and other drug use across racial/ethnic groups, but studies examining these issues among adult populations remain scarce. This is an important oversight as exposure to many of the risk factors associated with substance use and abuse has been shown to vary by race/ethnicity as well as age. This study examines the causes and correlates of adult alcohol abuse across the three largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States—Whites, Blacks and Hispanics—and provides a theoretically grounded examination of substance abuse by applying two general theories of deviance, Agnew's general strain theory and Akers' social learning theory. Results indicate unconditional support for both theories when applied to White alcohol abuse but more conditional support when applied to patterns of adult alcohol abuse among Hispanics and Blacks. These results suggest that these three racial/ethnic groups experience somewhat different pathways to alcohol disorder.

There is substantial literature on the patterns and correlates of substance use across minority youth populations, but comparatively little attention has been directed to substance use among adults. This is particularly the case for adult American Indians, generally due to sampling challenges. This article provides multivariate analyses of the correlates of substance use across five racial/ethnic groups and highlights analyses focused on American Indian adults. In addition to marijuana use and binge drinking, our analyses consider hard drug use, which remains understudied in the literature, and include a first consideration of "bender drinking," a form of alcohol consumption that is most likely to lead to health, social, and legal problems. Our results indicate that although American Indians report higher levels of substance use and abuse than do those from other racial/ethnic groups, these differences are attenuated when sociodemographic and individual-level/risk protective factors are taken into account.

While there is fairly extensive literature examining the patterns and correlates of substance use across minority youth populations with a particular focus on comparisons between Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, there has been comparatively little attention devoted to adults. Drawing on data derived from a household sample of close to 7,000 adults in Washington State, this paper provides multivariate analyses of the correlates of substance use across five racial/ethnic groups with a specific emphasis on American Indians. The analyses reveal that while American Indians have generally higher levels of substance use and abuse than those from other racial/ethnic groups, the differences are attenuated when socio-demographic and individual level/risk protective factors are taken into account.

A growing body of research on Hispanic substance use in the United States has found acculturation to result in increased drug use. This study contributes to this research by analyzing the effect of acculturation on Hispanic substance use in Washington State, a state with a rural and dispersed Hispanic population. Findings reveal acculturation to have a strong positive effect on levels of illicit drug use, hard drug use, binge drinking and bender drinking among Hispanics.