Introduction
Violence--whether personal violence, such as suicide; interpersonal violence, such as rape, homicide, or domestic abuse; or group violence, such as unruliness and riotous acts at sporting events--is a major concern to everyone. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cause a significant number of severe--sometimes fatal--health, social, and economic problems for our country. That there is an association between alcohol use and all forms of violence has been known for many years. Understanding the association between the two could produce potent new ways to reduce their frequency and their consequences.
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), a component of the United States Department of Justice, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) each has a long-standing interest in and commitment to funding research on violence and its causes, consequences, and prevention. This intersection of concern and interest in reducing alcohol-related violence has led over the years to a number of fruitful collaborations between NIAAA and NIJ. This issue of Alcohol Research & Health on alcohol-related violence is a fine example of such collaborations. In this issue, researchers supported by each agency share findings on a range of topics, including why some people may be more susceptible than others to committing or becoming victims of alcohol-related violence, how alcohol-use problems can lead to violence, and how violence itself may be a factor in the development of alcohol-use problems.
I would like to thank the NIJ staff for their invaluable assistance in identifying topics for articles and in helping to review manuscripts for this special issue of Alcohol Research & Health. We hope that this issue not only will highlight the problems associated with alcohol-related violence but also stimulate much-needed research attention to this subject.
Enoch Gordis, M.D.
Director
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER, ALCOHOL, AND AGGRESSION
Why are some people more likely than others to become aggressive after consuming alcohol? According to Drs. F. Gerard Moeller and Donald M. Dougherty, people with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a psychiatric condition characterized by a pervasive pattern of violent behavior and/or a general disregard for other people’s rights, may be particularly susceptible to alcohol-related aggression. In laboratory studies, people with ASPD were more aggressive after consuming alcohol than without ASPD. Moreover, people with ASPD were more likely to abuse or become dependent on alcohol than people without the disorder. Even people without a diagnosis of ASPD, however, may respond to alcohol with increased aggressive behavior, especially if they show aggressive tendencies while sober. Various mechanisms, such as a person’s beliefs about alcohol’s effects and alcohol-related changes in brain function and brain chemistry, may play a role in alcohol-related aggression. (pp. 5-11)
DIFFERENCES IN ALCOHOL-INDUCED AGGRESSION
Studying the mechanisms behind alcohol’s link to aggressive behavior in humans is difficult. Thus, researchers have relied on animal models to better define the alcohol-aggression relationship. Dr. J. Dee Higley reviews research in animals to show how individual differences in brain chemistry predict impulsivity, aggression, and alcohol-induced aggression. Dr. Higley describes a primate model specifically developed to study the mechanisms behind alcohol’s link to aggression and the characteristics that may affect this relationship. These characteristics appear to be associated with early rearing experiences and to remain stable throughout the animal’s life. (pp. 12-19)
VICTIM AND OFFENDER SELF-REPORTS OF ALCOHOL INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME
Violent crime experienced an overall decline during the 1990s. Likewise, the number of violent crimes attributable to offenders who were drinking alcoholic beverages at the time of their offenses also decreased. Mr. Lawrence A. Greenfeld and Ms. Maureen A. Henneberg report on changes in alcohol-related violence evidenced by national surveys of crime victims and offenders conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. According to the article’s authors, surveys of victims indicate that the rate of alcohol-related violent crime decreased more than the rate of non-alcohol-related violence. Surveys of some offenders also suggest that alcohol’s role in violence is decreasing. The decrease in alcohol-related violence is consistent with declines in other measures of alcohol use and misuse, including per capita alcohol consumption and alcohol involvement in traffic crashes. In contrast, violent offenders in State prisons are increasingly likely to report having used alcohol prior to their offense, possibly illustrating the effect of more severe sanctions for alcohol-related offenses. (pp. 20-31)
COURT PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING INTOXICATED DRIVERS
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is one of the most common criminal offenses associated with alcohol consumption, and many DWI offenders continue to drive intoxicated after they have been apprehended for the first time. To reduce this recidivism and deter DWI offenses in the first place, the courts have developed numerous sanctions. Drs. Robert B. Voas and Deborah A. Fisher provide an overview of these measures--including punitive sanctions (e.g., fines and incarceration), rehabilitative sanctions (e.g., alcoholism treatment), and incapacitating sanctions (e.g., license suspensions and ignition interlocks)--as well as review studies that have assessed the effectiveness of these measures. The authors also describe the various stages in the judicial process during which judges can implement those sanctions to maximize their effectiveness in reducing DWI recidivism. (pp. 32-42)

Registered Members, login
Join now, it's free

Property of EssaySwap.com