Criminal behavior refers to the psychology of delinquent individuals. Various factors have been known to drive people into committing different types of crime. Being able to deal with crime requires the law enforcement officers and the entire criminal justice system to be able to understand the psychology of criminals. Moreover, a criminal justice system should aim at adopting more preventive than reactive methods in dealing with crime. As such, understanding the criminal behavior of the people is the center of any criminal justice system (Prentky & Knight, 2010). This paper explores the criminal behavior that leads people to committing a crime related to the abuse of drugs that have been declared illegal such as heroin, marijuana, and opium among others; many people criminals disregard the law and continue using the drugs.
Several factors lead people to committing the criminal acts of selling, buying, and consuming illegal drugs. First, the individuals learn from their peers and other members of the society. According to the differential association theory, criminal behavior learned is later executed through observation or communication from their peers or older members of the society (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). Through observation and communication with other people who commit the crime, they learn about where to get the drugs and the potential benefits they can derive from the conception of such drugs. Moreover, people are initiated into the illegal business of selling the drugs by learning (Peters, Kremling, & Hunt, 2014). Moreover, the people learn the sources of drugs and the potential monetary benefit. Therefore, the initiation into the criminal activities of dealing with illegal drugs is largely through learning.
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The learning of criminal activities perpetrated by illegal drugs occurs in groups of people who are closely related. The differential association theory of crime highlights that the learning of criminal activities is more efficient in closely associated groups (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). This fact is indeed true when considering the learning of crime that relates to sale and use of illegal drugs. With the illegal nature of such activities and the high punitive measures set out by law for people convicted of such crime, the people who execute such crimes often do so in high privacy and confidentiality. They do not want their dealings to be exposed to people and particularly law enforcement officers. Therefore, the communication about their criminal dealings is confined to the groups of people who are closely associated (Prentky & Knight, 2010). Such close groups include family members and other pear groups. People who are brought up in families that use or sell illegal drugs are more likely to be involved in such activities. Moreover, the people who closely associate with individuals who engage in drug trafficking, consumption, and sale of illegal drugs are equally likely to engage in such criminal activities.
The learning process of committing crime such as drug trafficking, sale and use of illegal drugs is double phased. The first phase of this learning is the crime techniques (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). This involves learning how to commit a crime and how to avoid the law. The major survival technique required in the world of crime is the technique to avoid the law enforcement officers. The success of engaging in such crimes without getting caught rests on learning all the techniques of trade carefully. For drug trafficking and selling, people must learn where to obtain the drugs, transport, sell, and avoid being noticed. The users of such drugs must equally learn where to get them, how to use them, and how to avoid legal attention. These are important lessons for illegal drug-related criminals. Secondly, a person initiated in this type of crime must learn the motives behind the crime, the rationalization of the crime, the drivers for the crime, and the right attitude required for the execution of the crime (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). For a person to risk the potential jail sentence associated with drug trafficking, they will need to understand the potential monetary benefit in case they succeed. It serves as a motivation to engage in such crimes. Moreover, the person learns the rationalization of the crime from the perspective of those engaged including the reasons for engagement. Attitude is equally important in drug trafficking as well as the sell and use of illegal drugs. Therefore, the learning equally involves the acquisition of the right attitude for the crime including the attitude of fearlessness towards law and legal consequences.
People whose associations commit crimes related to drug abuse than people who do not approve such crime are more likely to commit the crime. According to the differential association theory, the predominance of definitions that are favorable to violations of law predisposes one to a tendency of committing crime compared to a predominance of definitions that are favorable to abiding by the law (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). It serves as the central premise over which the differential association theory is built and influences the commission of drug-related crimes. An individual with majority of friends as illegal drug dealers and a minority as being against the drug dealing is more likely to be influenced to participate in the crime. Reasonably, the definitions favoring law offense in the case of the person in question are in excess compared to the definitions that favor law obedience versus the laws relating to drug dealing (Peters, Kremling, & Hunt, 2014). Therefore, a close friend is more likely to engage in activities such as drug trafficking, selling, and using illegal drugs compared to the one who largely associates with people who do not approve the criminal acts of illegal drugs.
There is a direct correlation between the frequency, priority, duration, and intensity of the association between a person and the proponents of drug-related crimes and the frequency, priority, duration, and intensity at which the person is engaged in the crimes relating to illegal drugs (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). For instance, the frequency of interaction with which a person spends with a drug dealer will influence the frequency of involvement in offenses relating to illegal drugs. Moreover, the duration of time that a person spends with a proponent of illegal drug dealing will equally influence the rate and possibility of engagement in illegal the activities. Besides, the priority that a person gives to friends and family members involved in illegal drug trafficking, selling or consumption of illegal drugs will influence the priority that the person gives to illegal drug trafficking selling or consumption of such illegal drugs (Prentky & Knight, 2010). Lastly, the intensity of the relationship between the person and the proponents of illegal drug-related activities equally correlates with the intensity with which the person himself is involved. Therefore, frequency, priority, duration, and intensity of the association are directly correlated with frequency, priority, duration, and intensity of involvement in the crime related activities.
The dynamics of learning criminal behavior is very similar to learning any other type of behavior. Moreover, the process of learning criminal behavior goes beyond observation (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). Concerning the crimes relating to illegal drugs, the learning of such criminal activities involves assorted methods such as seduction and coercion. The differential association theory notes that learning criminal behavior is a process similar to any other behavioral learning and consequently involves similar dynamics and techniques. Seduction is a technique that is involved in the learning of crimes related to illegal drugs and can account for a significant number of such leanings. Seduction occurs when an individual is lured into such criminal activities through false promises of satisfaction. Most people who are engaged in the consumption of illegal drugs were seduced to do so by friends through the promises of obtaining entertainment and virtually alleviating the issues that they face in life (Boisvert, 2014). These false promises among others often form the basis of seduction into the involvement of drug-related crimes. Such people engage in drug trafficking, selling and consumption of illegal drugs due to pressure from their peers. They often do so to fit in a given group of peers. Such groups intimidate their peers who are not involved in such criminal activities and make them feel inferior. Consequently, such people are coursed to join in the criminal activities of their peers. Therefore, the process of learning criminal behavior about illegal drugs crimes is similar to the overall process of learning behavior involving similar dynamics and approaches as used in general behavioral learning.
Criminals always justify their involvement in their criminal activities based on their basic needs and their attitudes. They argue that their involvement in criminal activities arise from the need to satisfy their basic needs. Criminals who engage in illegal drug-related crimes justify their engagement as a quest for satisfaction (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). For instance, drug dealers often justify their criminal activities on the fact that they have not been able to secure other meaningful economic activities or forms of employment. As such, they resort to dealing with drugs as an easier way of settling their bills and getting a form of income. Moreover, those who consume illegal drugs justify their actions based on the psychological issues they are facing (Neves & Pinho, 2015). However, such justification does not acquit them from the consequences of their criminal activities because law-abiding people also face similar needs and attitudes like the criminals. However, they choose to satisfy their needs more lawfully. In the differential association theory, criminals who justify their activities on fulfilling their needs should not be considered to be above reproach since non-criminals have similar needs. Therefore, fulfilling needs is not an excuse for criminal activities.
The social structure theories equally play a significant role in enhancing our understanding on the factors that lead people to crime besides the overall criminal psychology and behavior. There are three theories categorized under the social structure group of theories such as the social disorganization theory, strain theory, and culture conflict theory (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). The three theories shed more light on criminal behavior that can be used in understanding the behavior of drug-related criminals. The social disorganization theory links criminal behavior to the ecological nature and structure of the neighborhood in which people live and grow up. Individuals from low-income neighborhoods where crime is prevalent are likely to engage in criminal activities compared to people who live in advantaged neighborhoods where drug-related crimes are minimal (Peters, Kremling, & Hunt, 2014). Moreover, neighborhoods characterized by low-income earnings, high levels of poverty and dysfunctional families experience high involvement in drug-related crimes. Thus, there is a strong correlation between the neighborhoods that one lives in the chances of getting involved in crimes related to illegal drugs.
The strain theory also points to a significant factor that contributes to the involvement in drug-related crimes. The theory holds that special circumstances and issues around an individual create psychological and emotional pressure to be involved in crime (Neves & Pinho, 2015). The perception explains the high involvement in drug-related crimes among people from low-income families. Moreover, people from dysfunctional families are more predisposed to the involvement in drug-related crimes. Poverty pressures people both physically and psychologically. Poor people are desperate to get an income through any means regardless of whether it is legal or illegal. As such, they are gullible to be used for drug trafficking by drug barons (Boisvert, 2014). Moreover, the problems that poor people encounter place psychological and emotional pressure on the individual. Therefore, the individual is swayed to seek solace in the consumption of illegal drugs. Dysfunctional families equally lead to psychological problems of the individuals who come from such families. As such, the people resort to the use of illegal drugs as a way of dealing with the psychological issues.
Lastly, culture conflicts account for the involvement in criminal activities, particularly on illegal drugs. Different cultures have a different perception of the standards of right and wrong. In some cultures, the use of drugs is accepted as being right while in others it is highly condemned (Prentky & Knight, 2010). For people who come from cultures where the use of illegal drugs is a norm, they do not understand the rationale behind the criminalization of such drugs. Therefore, such individuals are likely to be involved in dealing with such illegal drugs despite the fact that they are illegal. In contrast, individuals who come from cultures that highly condemn the use of such drugs are more likely to follow the laws that relate to the use and dealing with such drugs (Boisvert, 2014). Consequently, culture plays a critical role in influencing criminal behavior concerning drug-related crimes.
In summary, the psychology and reasoning that lead one to get involved in drug-related crimes are diverse. The precepts of the preferential association theory largely explain the factors that make someone to be involved in crimes related to illegal drugs. Most importantly, the preferential association theory emphasizes the effect of association in leading one to crime. Many people engaged in criminal activities of trafficking, selling or consuming illegal drugs learn the behavior from other people who are already engaged in the crime. Therefore, association is a critical factor in shaping criminal behavior. The social structure theory equally gives another perspective to criminal behavior and illegal drugs dealings in particular. Factors such as societal disorganization, emotional and psychological strain, as well as cultural factors contribute to shaping criminal behavior arising from illegal drug use.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2016). Criminal behavior (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Boisvert, D. (2014). Evolutionary theories of criminal behaviors. Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 16 (4): 1454-1463.
Neves, D., & Pinho, M. S. (2015). Specificity and emotional characteristics of the autobiographical memories of male and female criminal offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43 (5): 670-690.
Peters, R. H., Kremling, J., & Hunt, E. (2014). Accuracy of self-reported drug use among offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42 (6): 623-643.
Prentky, R. A., & Knight, R. A. (2010). Impulsivity in the lifestyle and criminal behavior. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 13 (2): 141-164.
