Drug Abuse and Crime Across the Life Course in an African American Population

描述（由申请人提供）：非洲裔美国人在全国犯罪统计数据中被逮捕、监禁和受害的比例过高，特别是在与毒品有关的犯罪和暴力犯罪中。他们参与犯罪往往只是众所周知的一系列负面经历和情况的一个组成部分，包括吸毒问题、社会经济劣势和身心健康状况不佳，有时在儿童时期就很明显。对个人、家庭和社会的代价是巨大的，然而我们对这些模式在整个生命过程中的发展知之甚少。尽管存在这些明显的差异，但很少有研究调查非裔美国人社区人口中药物使用和犯罪行为的发展情况，特别是进入成年中期。我们打算研究一生中风险的时间和来源，以更好地了解非裔美国人在与刑事司法问题有关的健康和社会后果方面的差异。为此，我们请求支持，分析现有的犯罪和毒品数据，涵盖一群来自芝加哥内城的一年级非裔美国儿童35年的生活。这项前瞻性发展研究（Woodlawn项目）开始于1966- 1967年，最近的一次随访是在2002- 2003年，随访对象为42-43岁，中期评估对象为青春期和成年早期（32-33岁）。研究对象在成年后吸毒和犯罪的水平都很高。在拟议的项目中，我们将侧重于药物滥用与犯罪的相互关系，审查药物滥用的预测因素和后果、犯罪活动以及参与刑事司法系统。使用来自队列成员、母亲、采访者和官方犯罪记录的数据，我们将确定1)一生中吸毒和犯罪行为的模式；2)个人和环境因素对后来的药物使用、犯罪活动/行为和参与刑事司法系统的影响；3)吸毒、犯罪行为和参与刑事司法系统的社会、经济和健康后果。特别令人感兴趣的是，青少年和成年早期吸毒与被捕和监禁的风险之间的关系，反过来，早期被捕和监禁如何影响后来的吸毒和犯罪行为。这些信息将进一步加深我们对犯罪和药物使用的病因和后果的理解，并为在生命历程的各个阶段设计干预措施提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): African Americans are disproportionately represented in national crime statistics for arrests and incarceration as well as victimization, particularly for drug-related and violent offenses. Their involvement in crime often represents only one component of a well-recognized cluster of negative experiences and circumstances including drug use problems, socioeconomic disadvantage and poor physical and mental health, sometimes evident in childhood. The cost to individuals, families, and society is enormous, yet we know little about the development of these patterns across the life course. Despite these evident disparities, few studies have examined the development of drug use and criminal behaviors over time within African American community populations, especially into mid adulthood. We intend to study the timing and sources of risk over the life span to better understand the disparities in health and social consequences related to criminal justice issues among African Americans. To that end, we request support to analyze existing crime and drug data covering 35 years in the lives of a cohort of first grade, African American children from inner city Chicago. This prospective developmental study (the Woodlawn project) began in 1966-67, with the most recent follow up in 2002-3 at ages 42-43, and interim assessments in adolescence and early adulthood (age 32-33). The study population had high levels of drug use and criminal activity in adulthood. In the proposed project, we will focus on interrelationships of drug abuse and crime, examining predictors and consequences of drug abuse, criminal activity, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Using data from cohort members, mothers, interviewers, and official criminal records, we will identify 1) patterns of drug use and criminal behaviors over the life course; 2) individual and contextual predictors of later drug use, criminal activity/behaviors, and involvement with the criminal justice system; 3) social, economic, and health consequences of drug use, criminal behaviors, and involvement in the criminal justice system. Of particular interest is how drug use in adolescence and early adulthood relates to the risk of being arrested and incarcerated and, conversely, how early arrests and incarceration influence later drug use and criminal behaviors. This information will further our understanding of the etiology and consequences of crime and drug use into mid adulthood, and inform the design of interventions at various stages along the life course.