Is the self-report of drug dependency related to increased rates of prior offending among Australian police detainees?

Understanding the connection between drug dependency and crime has long occupied the research agendas of both criminologists and public policy experts. However, there remains considerable uncertainty in the empirical literature, in part because different studies operationalise the measurement of drug dependency in different ways. Some, for example, use comprehensive and sophisticated clinical instruments, others use simplified screening tools, while some use single-item self-report measures. Whichever the method, each is an attempt to accurately operationalise the manifestation of drug dependency as an objective trait, yet through their mode of administration, they undoubtedly capture other confounds. The resulting bias can have significant implications for the subsequent estimation of the drug crime relationship, especially if a mode of administration (such as the single-measure self-report) crosses over into other important domains such as personal and social identity. The present study examined the correlation between self-reported drug dependency and crime among a large sample of Australian police detainees who were affirmatively screened for dependency on UNCOPE—a six item clinical screening tool which operationalises dependency as the presence of multiple behavioural and affective experiences of compulsive drug use (Hoffmann, Hunt, Rhodes, & Riley, 2003; Proctor & Hoffmann, 2016). Using a mix of descriptive and negative binominal regression techniques, we modelled the frequency of self-reported prior offending in the past 12 months using data from the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia program. After controlling for type, frequency, and longevity of drug use, as well as other demographic factors, we find that those who self-report a drug dependency have higher average rates of prior offending. We argue that these results reflect the social and cultural power of drug-dependency identities and the centrality of identity as a third, often unobserved variable in the drug-crime correlation. These result will assist criminologists and criminal justice professionals in further developing interventions to assist drug dependent offenders within the criminal justice system.