The Influence of Respectability on Predation and Social Control

随着国家和地方社区面临控制毒品分销和相关犯罪(如入室盗窃、欺诈、抢劫、谋杀)的挑战，政策制定者需要更多和更好地了解法律在促进和限制与毒品市场有关的犯罪，特别是各种毒品类型和毒品政策中的暴力方面的作用。社会科学家长期以来一直认为，由于缺乏合法的争端解决机制，非法毒品市场容易遭到高度掠夺和报复。然而，没有一项研究在该领域系统地检验了这一理论。本项目调查荷兰阿姆斯特丹不同毒品市场中毒品市场体面(即合法性)、掠夺、报复和正式调解之间的关系。阿姆斯特丹是研究毒品市场行为的理想之选，因为它有三个不同的毒品市场，具有不同的法律地位：S咖啡馆销售合法(尽管受到监管)的酒精(啤酒、葡萄酒、烈酒)；咖啡店销售合法化的大麻(大麻和大麻)并购买违禁大麻；街头小贩销售违禁硬毒品(如摇头丸、可卡因和海洛因)。理论预测，由于街头小贩不太可能向警方报告自己受到的伤害，他们应该比咖啡店员工更多地受到伤害和报复，而咖啡店员工应该比咖啡馆员工更多地受到伤害和报复。这一理论将通过对咖啡馆员工、咖啡店员工和街头小贩的访谈和观察获得的定量和定性数据来检验。通过利用毒品市场法中的“自然实验”，该项目的发现将为美国和其他国家的科学家和政策制定者提供重要的理论和实践见解，以了解毒品禁令对犯罪的影响。

As nations and local communities confront the challenge of controlling the distribution of drugs and associated crimes (e.g., burglary, fraud, robbery, murder), policymakers need more and better knowledge of the role of law in fostering and limiting drug market-related crime, especially violence, across a broad range of drug types and drug policies. Social scientists have long held that illicit drug markets are prone to high levels of predation and retaliation due to the absence of lawful dispute-resolution mechanisms. No single study, however, has systematically examined this theory in the field. This project investigates the relationship between drug market respectability (i.e., legality), predation, retaliation, and formal mediation in the diverse drug markets of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Amsterdam is ideal for a study of drug market behavior because it is characterized by three distinct drug markets with varying legal respectability: cafés selling legal (albeit regulated) alcohol (beer, wine, liquor); coffee shops selling decriminalized cannabis (marijuana and hashish) and buying prohibited cannabis; and street dealers selling prohibited hard drugs (e.g., ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin). Theory predicts that because they are less likely to report their victimization to the police, street dealers should be involved in more victimization and retaliation than coffee shop employees, who should be involved in more victimization and retaliation than café employees. This theory will be examined with quantitative and qualitative data obtained from interviews with and observations of café employees, coffee shop employees, and street dealers. By taking advantage of a "natural experiment" in drug market law, findings of this project will provide scientists and policymakers in the U.S. and other nations with important theoretical and practical insights into the effects of drug prohibition on crime.