The consistency of types of criminal behavior over preaddiction, addiction, and nonaddiction status periods

Abstract

Using self-report information provided by 250 male admissions to methadone maintenance/detoxification clinics in Baltimore and New York City, separate criminal typologies were derived for prior periods of addiction and nonaddiction in the community. Although far more crime was committed during periods of addiction, comparison of the typologies indicated highly consistent individual patterns regarding the kinds of crime that were committed over periods of addiction and nonaddiction. The association between early deviant behavior and later criminal involvement over an addiction career was determined by relating preaddiction characteristics to both the addiction and nonaddiction typologies. It was found that crime patterns established before addiction, although intensified by addiction, tended to persist throughout the addiction career. Correspondence between the present typology results and those found in an earlier Baltimore sample of 354 addicts was high with respect to both the number and descriptive characteristics of the types derived. Implications of this research with regard to the early identification of the most criminally prone individuals are discussed.