<p align="centerDrug and alcohol abuse factors in women’s crime

<p align="centerExecutive summary

<a href="../order/Women drug abuse is believed to be a major factor in their participation in crime and it’s argued that the severity of women’s drug abuse is more closely related to their criminality than it is for their male counterparts, particularly for prostitution and property crime. Women’s drug use and offences are different from those of men. For example female offenders are more likely than males to be incarcerated for non-violent crimes, such as drug offences whereas male offenders are more likely to be incarcerated for violent crimes such as assault (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002). Women drug abusers, particularly those who have been incarcerated, experience higher levels of abuse, economic hardship and other adversity in their lives than men. Women who participate in criminal activity are also more likely to have a history of illicit drug use – Prior to the 1970s; women were virtually not included in research examining alcohol and/or illicit drug use and crime. They were often not sampled or their results were grouped with male results, rather than reported separately, making it impossible to distinguish any variations in behavior. By the 70s, it was clear that the exclusion of women had resulted in a situation where very little was known about women’s use of drugs (Ettorre 1992; Wilsnack & Beckman 1984). Since then, more research on women-specific issues has been covered in these two areas, particularly in relation to risk factors.

<p align="center Introduction

 Female drug use is believed to be a key factor in their participation in crime and it is argued that the intensity and severity of women’s drug use is more closely related to their criminality than it is for males, and in particular prostitution. Women’s drug use and offences are different from men’s. For instance, female offenders are more likely than males to be incarcerated for non-violent crimes, such as drug offences, whereas male offenders are more likely to be incarcerated for violent crimes such as assault. Women drug users, particularly those who have been jailed, experience higher levels of abuse, economic hardship and other adversity in their lives than their male counterparts. There are several key factors for this (Makkai & Payne, 2003).
To start with, parental neglect is a major factor where most women in crime have at some point in their lives experienced problems, identified as a key turning point leading to women’s drug aIDiction and eventually criminality. When a woman is exposed to neglect by their parents tend to fall into drug abuse and alcoholism. This creates a chain effect since their kids to grow up in an environment where both or one parent is an alcoholic. This makes such women prone to criminality since according to a   DUCO study 52% of the women imprisoned grew up in families where at least one family member had a drug or alcohol problem.

<a href="../Child abuse too is one of the risk factors that lead women into criminality. Women in prison have at some point in their lives experienced some level of sexual, physical or emotional abuse. According to an Australian research (Lievore 2002), 85% of female inmates have been subjected to sexual abuse, while the number of those both physically and emotionally abused was higher. Estimates show that more than 50% of the women undergoing drug rehabilitation are victims of child abuse. According to studies carried out by DUCO 52% of imprisoned women in Australia come from families where they were abused and at least one family member was abusing alcohol or drugs.

In aIDition, lack of social support is one of the factors too that leads <a href="../women to criminal activities. Coming from an alcoholic and abusive background, there employment opportunities are usually limited. These women are more likely to report alcohol dependency, drug dependency, low education attainment, indigenousness and prior arrest. This is even worse for those who have children and are faced with aIDed responsibilities raising their chances of engaging in criminal activities especially non-violent one’s like prostitution.

Moreover association with other drug abusers increases the risk of incarceration for women. Most of them are initiated into illicit drug use through association with male drug abusers. According to Rosenbaum (1985) it was found that women who were introduced to drugs by a male always did it at their own will. Such women usually end up in crime so as to keep up with their body’s drug needs as aIDiction begins to set in. Studies (Johnson’s 2004) have shown that among incarcerated women 62% were drug users at the time of arrest, another 55% were dependent on drugs and 27% were dependent on alcohol.

Moreover, women raised in drug abusing families were more likely to have used hard drugs in their lives as opposed to those who grew up in non-drug like environment. These women were also more likely to report cases of alcohol dependency, drug dependency, neglect and low education levels further driving them into crime. A study carried out by DUCO in Australia showed that 91% of women raised in drug abusing families were more likely to abuse drugs as opposed to those from non drug abusing families.

While <a href="../women in prisons are basically disadvantaged, those coming from families with drug and alcohol backgrounds are more likely to have negative experiences in life and in their lives had high drug dependencies, high levels of mental health problems, were more likely to be on prescription drugs. This means that even when they leave jail they are more likely to find themselves back in prison since they find it hard to fit in the society.

Conclusively, family is the most important influence on drug and alcohol abuse. Families where there is a tendency towards drug abuse tend to suffer from neglect and poor supervision of children, indiscipline among the children and at the end of it all children who turn to crime on attainment of adulthood. It can be conclude that drug and alcohol abuse have a high correlation with a woman commit crimes. It’s clear that there is high alcohol and drug dependency among women who are jailed as compared to those who don’t abuse drugs. A range of other negative experiences were associated with growing up in families with drug and alcohol dependencies and low social-economic status. It’s clear that early intervention is needed in the life of drug abusers or families with drug abusing parents and prevents the inter-generational spread of <a href="../alcoholism and drug abuse.

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