The article State and local drug enforcement: In search of a strategy explores multidimensional elements about drug enforcement and its implication on the criminal justice system, the general public, and the drug dealers. The emphasis is placed on the explosive growth of the crack market and increase in violence by dealers. There is also a growing concern in the general public about the need for security agencies to enforce the law strictly. This is in a bid to control the negatives related to the illicit drug trade and violence that emanates from different undertakings.
The main challenge cited by the authors is the control of the chain of drug dealers. They cite that while it could be easy for lawmakers to think of this as a small problem that can be dealt with, it is more than arresting cocaine dealers and imprisoning them. This usually results in the coming up of new dealers. The influence on the narcotic market, for example, raising drugs’ prices in a way that leads to a reduction in drug consumption, is one of the approaches that could help in containing illicit drug consumption and trading (Kleiman et al., 1990). However, the authors opines that little is known about the level of activities in the illegal drug market. The lack of data and theory about the significance of the issue derail the government from channeling enough resources to effective drug enforcement.
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The authors say there is a relationship between cocaine addiction and crime. They further state that intervention in the form of law enforcement could alleviate the problem. This is, however, more effective among gangs that are known to the police than the unknown. The risk and price theory of drug markets can offer more insight into the impact of law enforcement in drug markets. The authors’ present evidence of the positive and negative effects of crime reduction through the use of the risk price model. The operation pressure point in New York is an example of a success story. It led to a reduction of crime by 18.5% and 37.5% in two consecutive years(Kleiman et al., 1990). However, the major problem with the stepped up effort is the criminal justice system’s inability to handle an increase in caseloads.
The authors suggest different tactics and strategies related to drug enforcement. They include extensive law enforcement, retail level enforcement, focused crackdowns, suppression of gang activities, and management of user crime and youth protection (Kleiman et al., 1990). Besides these suggestions, the authors analyze drug enforcement in three major cities with significant drug issues. New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit are the cities focused on by the authors. Tactical narcotic teams have been effective in the fight against the abuse of narcotics in New York. In Los Angeles, different sheriff departments have been collaborating to effectively deal with gangs in a better, less costly manner(Kleiman et al., 1990). The two cities are different from Detroit, where there is a significant issue related to crack and murder issue. The author concludes that there is a need for law enforcement agencies to learn how to deal with the issue based on the drug market dynamics in a given area.
Critical Assessment
The author’s literature review on drug markets, theories of crime markets, and the analysis of the approaches used by security agencies in cities where there is a significant problem with crack and other illegal drugs is plausible. However, regardless of the extensive evidence-based research, one of the weaknesses prevalent in the study is the lack of holistic focus on a particular issue related to drug enforcement. While the wide perspective gives a general understanding of the efforts utilized in reducing illicit drug markets, the wide scope makes it difficult to decide the efficacy of different methods. Most importantly, it is hard to know the effectiveness of law enforcement because there is no extensive data analysis to prove this.
I believe narrowing research makes it possible for researchers to exclusively analyze a problem, understand the different dimensions involved, and approach it. Some patterns can be identified in cocaine or narcotic addiction and related crimes in different cities and countries. The flow of drugs and market operation can also be understood through a specific focus on popular markets and drug routes. I believe an analysis of these dimensions while collecting data that can be analyzed to give better insight into where resources can be channeled can help in the reduction of illicit drug markets.
References
Kleiman, M. A., & Smith, K. D. (1990). State and local drug enforcement: In search of a strategy. Crime and justice , 13 , 69-108.
