Substance Use among Rapists: A Comparison with Other Serious Felons

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between substance use and sexual and violent crime, using data collected as part of the 1979 “Survey of Inmates in Correctional Institutions.” Specifically, the intent is to (1) assess the relationship between substance use and crime for rapists and compare this relationship with that for offenders whose crimes involve different levels of sex and violence; (2) examine the extent to which race, age, and social context modify this relationship; (3) compare substance use at the time of the offense with typical use patterns, in order to determine whether use is likely to be directly linked to the crimes in question; and (4) place the findings in a theoretical context in order to suggest directions for future research. The findings indicate that although there is a slight difference between offender types for drug use, no difference between offender types was found for alcohol use. In addition, these findings did not appear to be modified by race, age, or social context factors. Finally, it was found that use at the time of the offense does not differ markedly from typical use patterns.