Alcohol and crime: the unspoken truth and the practical policy

solutions for prevention

Robert Nash ParkerUniversity of California

Alcohol and Violence: the unspoken yet well known

truthViolence is caused in part by alcoholAlcohol makes violence worse than it might be otherwiseAlcohol control and regulation can be used to prevent Violence

The practical and the possible

Research from “Alcohol and Violence: The nature of the relationship and the Possibility of Prevention”Look for this new book in 2010Preview of several chapters todayA look at some new research on alcohol and assault in Canada

Minimum Drinking AgeUS has a uniform 21 age minimum age of legal purchaseIn the 1970s, many US states had younger agesLate 1970s to mid 1980s, all states were encouraged (forced) to adopt 21What was the impact on violence?

Increasing the minimum age of purchase and youth

homicideData for 49 states and DC, 1972-1993

Before and after critical period 1979-1984First state enacted 21 (Minnesota); US Federal Government essentially forces 21 uniformityBroad consideration of predictors including:

Taxes on BeerIncreases in minimum agePrices of alcohol

Increasing the minimum age of purchase and youth

homicideResults indicate:

Minimum age increase prior to 1984 decrease youth homicideThe Higher beer taxes, the lower youth homicideDespite rising youth homicide rates during the 1972-1993 period, evidence that alcohol policy can reduce youth violence

Availability of alcohol and youth violence

Although alcohol is not supposed to be available to those under 21, youth are able to obtain with reliability in many communitiesStudies in US show that 55% to 80% of the time, youth are able to buy alcohol directly in retail establishmentsWhat would happen to youth violence if alcohol availability went down?

Availability of Alcohol and youth violence

Three year study 1993-1995 in Small Northern California CommunityIn the second year of the study, City decided to remove alcohol outlets in 6 neighborhoods (out of 35; 12 outlets closed)Youth violence measured from police data for offenders and victims, 12-24

Availability of Alcohol and youth Violence

Natural experiment:Net of other factors, the places where availability was reduced had significantly lower rates of youth violenceCausal effect powerfully demonstrated

Availability, Enforcement, and youth gang activityMinimum Age of purchase is also about enforcement as well as setting minimum age and availabilityIs enforcement a useful tool for prevention of youth violence?Tested the idea with gang violence, a most difficult target for policy intervention

Availability, Enforcement, and youth gang activity

Using Pseudo-Under age buyer sting21 years olds who look youngAttempt to buy after an intervention

Findings:Only 24% successful Neighborhoods with more successful buys had higher gang violence net of other predictors

Unspoken Truth:Enforcement of minimum purchase laws reduces violence

Alcohol Advertising and a specific type of youth

violenceSimilar study in another Northern California Community

Why would the industry spend so much money on advertising if the only impact was to get adults to switch brands?Unspoken truth that everyone knows:

They would not!

Alcohol Advertising and a Specific Type of Youth

ViolenceMeasured the content of advertising in local retail outlets with trained observers

Among the most common content:Sexually explicit, commodifying, and exploitative ads featuring women in provocative and near pornographic poses

We measured assault and sexual assault, overall advertising and sexually explicit advertising rates

FIGURE 11

FIGURE 12

FIGURE 10

Alcohol Advertising and a specific type of youth

violenceFindings:

Controlling for relevant factors:Advertising in general did not impact assault or sexual assaultSexually explicit advertising raised the rate of sexual assault, but not other assaultsThese findings were net of overall outlet density; they were also ethnic specificMore ads with Latina models, more Latina girls were sexually assaulted

Unintended truths: Alcohol prevention impacts

violenceCommunity Trials Study

Conducted by the Prevention Research Center, Berkeley (PIRE)Led by Harold Holder, one of the world’s leading experts on Alcohol and PreventionDesigned to impact drunk driving, pedestrian accidents, falls, burns, fires, etc: everything but violenceQuestion: Did these multi faceted and coordinated interventions impact violence?

Unintended Truths: Alcohol Prevention Impacts violence

Time series analyses of all three experimental sites showed that:

The timing of a number of different types of interventions led to lower violent crime rates 1 to 3 months laterThe volume of interventions reduced violent crime 2 to 3 months later

Alcohol and Assault: the Canadian Truth

New study: International Project on Alcohol and Assault

Purpose is to assemble a massive set of evidence from 20, 30 or more countries, cities, provinces, using time series methodsTo prove beyond a shadow of doubt that alcohol causes assaultUse these results to convince governments at all levels to pursue alcohol control and regulation as a means to lower numbers and costs of violent crime

Alcohol and Assault: the Canadian Truth

Time Series analysis shows a lagged causal relationship between Assaults and Spirits consumption, between 1950 and 1999Similar to results from Republic of Ireland and the United StatesAssault impacts more than 200,000 Canadians (2007) a year

Alcohol and Violence: The Spoken Truth

Alcohol related violence can be preventedExisting regulations on Alcohol can be used to achieve substantial reductionsMany of the interventions discussed here can be achieved with little or no expenditure of fundsWhy would Anyone be Opposed to this?

More about Alcohol and violence: Policy, research,

readingInternational Sociological Association Research Committee 29

World Congress of Sociology Gothenberg, Sweden, July 2010Deadline December 1, 2009 AbstractsURL: http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2010/rc/rc29.htm

More about Alcohol and violence: Policy, research,

readingMeeting on Alcohol and Violence in Melbourne, Australia, March 2010

Sponsored by the Kettil Bruun SocietyHosted by Robin Room and Turning PointNovember 1, 2009 deadline extended for AbstractsURL:http://www.kettilbruun.org/Violence_Melb.htm

More about Alcohol and violence: Policy, research,

readingAlcohol Policy 15

Washington DC, December 2010Email Tom Colthurst: tomc@silvergategroup.comURL: http://www.silvergategroup.com/ap15/index.htm

Finally:Look for a new book on alcohol and violence in 2010

Alcohol and Violence: The Nature of the Relationship and the Promise of PreventionRobert Nash ParkerEmail me, robnp@aol.com, for more information