Date of Award
8-1-2015
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Criminology and Criminal Justice
First Advisor
Mullins, Christopher
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to develop a more focused understanding of the role of substance use and burglary. The data for this effort comes from interviews that were collected by Richard T. Wright and Scott H. Decker. The data was obtained through extensive interviews with 105 active offenders, specifically offenders who were active at the time of interview, but also who were residential burglars. The interviews were informally conducted on an individual basis, and participants were assigned nicknames or aliases rather than using real names. The findings of this thesis revealed that substance use plays a modest role in burglary, as does the perception of how drugs altered the mental consciousness. In a test of drug-crime nexus arguments, this study examined this relationship through disinhibition, motivation of drug use, the existence of a shared space, and the association of a delinquent subculture. The role of narcotics and alcohol use are included in the analysis, as there are notable effects described by participants.
Access
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