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Drugs and Cybercrime

Drugs and Cybercrime. “ C yberdrugcrime ?” . Illicit Drug Issues. History and “Drug Panics” Current Use / Trends Relationship Between Drug use and Crime Drug Control Strategy The Legalization Debate Theories of Drug Use . What is a “drug?” .

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Drugs and Cybercrime

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  1. Drugs and Cybercrime “Cyberdrugcrime?”

  2. Illicit Drug Issues • History and “Drug Panics” • Current Use / Trends • Relationship Between Drug use and Crime • Drug Control Strategy • The Legalization Debate • Theories of Drug Use

  3. What is a “drug?” • A “psychoactive drug” is one that alters mood, emotion, perception, or other mental states • By that definition: alcohol, caffeine and nicotine count • Also included are Prozac, Ritalin, Vicodin • Throw in the “illicit” drugs… • Americans are some fairly serious druggies

  4. A Long History of Substance Use • The use of chemical substances to “get high” dates back to ancient times • Mesopotamian writings (4,000 years ago) identify opium as the “plant of joy” • Primitive people during the stone age drank alcohol • South American Indians chewed coca leaves since before the time of the Incas • Until recently, most drugs legal • Winston Churchill (1912) used a “cocaine solution”; common “cure all” drugs were opium-based

  5. Criminalization of Drugs • Late 1800s in U.S. • “Moral Crusaders,” especially religious • Medical field began to suggest morphine and opiates were “habit-forming” and constituted a “disease” • The “temperance movement” • Drug Laws • 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act • 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act • 1937 Marijuana Taxation Act

  6. Drug Panics/Scares • Often precede new criminalization or heightened penalties • Worst-case scenario  “typical” • Methmouth, crack babies… • Tie to “dangerous class” • Opium—Chinese railroad workers, Crack—inner city blacks, Meth—redneck cocaine • Media sensationalism and hyperbole • Epidemic, most addictive drug ever, causes other bad things…

  7. Media Portrayals…now and then • Harry Anslingerand the Reefer Madness era • PBS Frontline: The Meth Epidemic

  8. Drug Use / Trends • Sources: • National Survey on Drug Use and Health • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration • Nationally representative household based (12+ yrs) • Monitoring the Future Survey • High School based (8-12th grade) • Limitations of sources?

  9. Illicit Drug use and other Crime • Strong correlation between drug use and crime • Offenders with substance abuse problems commit a high percent of some crimes • 75% of robberies in one study • Two-thirds of those jailed test positive for illicit drugs • Very high correlation (.5-.7) between regular drug use and crime

  10. Relationships Between Drugs and Crime • Drug-defined offenses • Possession and Sales • Drug-related offenses • Drug induced rage  assault • Rob to feed drug habit • Drug-using lifestyle • Crimes relevant to “lifestyle” (not cause-effect)

  11. Goldstein’s Models • How illicit drug use may produce violence • Psychopharmacological model • A tweaker goes violent b/c of methamphetamine • Economic-compulsive model • Robbery to keep the party going • Systematic model • Drug turf battles, robbery of dealers, dealer/client disputes, etc. • MaahsReminder Model • Violence and illicit drug use (and property crime) might all be caused by similar factors.

  12. The “Gateway” issue • Is weed a “gateway” drug for harder drugs? • Is cigarette smoking a gateway to weed? • Gateway implies causality • The use of some drug (nicotine, weed) causes use of harder drugs independent of other factors such as peer group, low self-control, lifestyle… • Is it really the weed that causes people to try crack cocaine or heroin? • Danger of “DARE” sorts of messages

  13. Which reminds me… • What have we gotten from the millions of dollars spent on D.A.R.E.? • Some research suggests that for younger students D.A.R.E. slightly increases respect for police officers • Why is D.A.R.E. still around? Who benefits from D.A.R.E.?

  14. Drug Control Strategies • “War on Drugs” = $600 Billion over past 25 years • Source Control • Interdiction • Punishment (Deterrence) • Drug Testing • Different Approaches • Drug Education (non-D.A.R.E.) • Drug Treatment (California’s Prop 36) • Public Health-Harm Reduction Models

  15. Drug Legalization? • Pro? • Reduce crime by eliminating “drug-defined crimes” • Reduce Prison Costs • Reduce violence generated by black market • Reduce police corruption (?) • Con? • Increased drug use and social costs • Moral costs • Practical Problems with Legalization • Which drugs? Who sells? Minors?

  16. Drug Treatment • As with criminal rehabilitation programs, cognitive behavioral programs have a track record of success • Cognitive = skill and restructuring • The effect of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous is largely unkown • Very resistant to academic research

  17. Drug Courts • Started in 1989 in Dade County Florida as a reaction to crowded jails/court dockets • Spread like wildfire thereafter • Key ingredients • Team approach • Judicial involvement in supervision (court reviews) • Strong treatment component • Quick processing

  18. Drug Court II • Most research has been favorable • Reductions in drug use and other criminal activity • South St. Louis County (Duluth) MN drug court • Reviewed by one of the best bow hunting criminologists in the country • Significant reductions in felony offending vs. a comparison group of people arrested for drug felonies prior to the existence of drug court

  19. Theories of Drug Use? • Most theories of crime can also explain drug use (social learning, social control, strain, developmental) • Motivations for drug use? • Hard drug use and the inner-city

  20. Cyber-Crime • Crime that occurs over the internet using a computer • Cybermarkets • Fraud • Development of criminal communities

  21. Cyber-Markets • Piracy • Software, Music, Movies, Television Broadcasts, Books… • Requires minimal skill, but does entail some risks (viruses, lawsuits, etc.) • Estimates vary, but roughly 1/3 of Americans report pirating • Higher estimates among youth, especially COLLEGE KIDS! • Music and video piracy appears to be declining…why? • Beyond pirating—use of legitimate (ebay, Craig's list) and illegitimate sites to engage in crime (sell stolen goods, trade in illicit drugs/sex).

  22. Cyber pornography market • Defining “pornography” has always been problematic • Other major issues • Access by Minors • Unwanted solicitation • Child pornography • Federal legislation has had limited success… • Communications Decency act of 1996 • Child Online Protection Act (COPA) of 1998 • Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2000

  23. Cyber Fraud • Traditional Fraud Scams • A friend from Nigeria wished to transfer a million dollars into your account • Phishing and Pharming scams • Your Ebay account has been compromised! • Hacking • Major concern with many of these techniques is identity theft • Use your information to take out loans, get credit cards, etc.

  24. Identity Theft • The unlawful use of another person’s identifying information • Use of name, DOB, social security number, credit card number…to commit fraud or other crimes • Internet and information age has made this much easier

  25. Combating Identity Theft • State Legislation • “Freeze laws” – stops access to credit reports • Laws to redact fraudulent transactions from credit reports • Disclosure laws—if your info has been compromised • New emphasis on information privacy • Risk minimization • Guard SS# and other private info, look at credit reports, shred sensitive paper, don’t open suspicious email…

  26. Cybercrime Communities • Anonymity of cyberspace • Deviant Subcultures have arena to share information and engage in crime • Child Pornography • Drug Distribution

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