This FIRST award proposal is for a secondary data analysis of drug- homicide relationships among offenders who committed homicide(s). The existing data sets for the study are self-report DREIM (Drug Relationships in Murder) interview data and official government records, EOC (Emergency Or Crisis) and CCH (Computerized Criminal History). the two official reports will be used mainly to obtain additional data which were not available from the DREIM interview (e.g., sentencing information) and to check the validity of information about criminal history. The study sample is composed of the 268 homicide offenders who were successfully interviewed for the DREIM project. Each was convicted and incarcerated in a New York State correctional facility for committing murder(s) in 1984. Both drug/alcohol use and crime/violence are growing problems in many American cities. Law enforcement experts predict that drug proliferation is the most critical problem law enforcement will face in the 1990's. It is generally assumed that engaging in one type of deviance is predictive of participation in other types of deviance. The main aim of this proposed study is to enhance understanding of drug/alcohol-related homicide, by comparing substance-related homicide with non-substance- related homicide using multivariate analyses. (Most previous studies utilized only descriptive analyses.) The direct and indirect impacts of socio/demographic factors and the offenders' deviant life histories (i.e., drug use, criminality, violent behavior, drug/alcohol treatment experiences) on homicide will be examined. Another aim of this proposed study is to identify problems (related to drug/crime/homicide) among the different subgroups, and consider policies/programs that might address such problems. Identifying problems is the first step towards prevention and resolution of the problems. The main variables used in this proposed study are socio/demographic background, drug use history (including treatment experiences), criminal history, and violent behavior (including homicide). Along with quantitative analyses, a qualitative method will also be employed for describing the offender's narration of the homicide and his/her life history.
