DOI: 10.3886/icpsr02741
title: Incapacitation Effects of Incarcerating Drug Offenders: Longitudinal Arrest Histories of Adults Arrested in Washington, DC, 1985-1986
title: Archival Version

description: This study examined differences in criminal career
 parameters that determine the potential incapacitative effects of
 alternative sentencing policies directed at drug-involved
 offenders. In particular, the researchers explored three key aspects
 of offenders' criminal careers: participation, frequency of offending,
 and termination rates from active offending. The study focused on
 differences in levels of serious offending by drug-using and nonusing
 drug offenders compared to drug-using and nonusing predatory
 offenders. Longitudinal arrest data for a sample of arrestees were
 collected to characterize the offending patterns of drug-using and
 nonusing drug offenders and predatory offenders. The sample was drawn
 from adults arrested in Washington, DC, on any charge from July 1,
 1985, to June 30, 1986. Data were collected from case files maintained
 by the Washington, DC, Pretrial Services Agency for 883 arrestees and
 5,387 arrests. Previous and subsequent arrests of the same individual
 were linked to form an arrest history. Within the sample of arrestees,
 three main types of offenders were distinguished based on offense
 charge at target arrest: (1) drug offenders, (2) predatory offenders
 (persons charged with robbery or burglary), and (3) all others. This
 study focused on the first two groups and distinguished drug users
 from non-users based on the results of a urine drug screen
 administered following the target arrest. Variables regarding arrests
 include date of arrest, drug test result, charges filed, disposition
 date, disposition type, and sentence length imposed. Demographic
variables include race, sex, and place of birth.
description: Growing public concern about the spread of
 illicit drug use spawned a variety of efforts in the 1980s to increase
 the severity of sentences imposed on convicted drug offenders. These
 increases in sanctions were also motivated by related concerns about
 reducing the predatory crimes, especially robbery and burglary, often
 associated with drug use. While it was commonly believed that crime
 control policies directed at drug offenders would be effective in
 reducing predatory crimes, these policies ignored the potential
 complexity of the relationships among drug use, drug trafficking, and
 predatory crimes. In particular, rather than serving as an indicator
 of high levels of predatory crime, drug trafficking may represent an
 alternative to predatory crime for many drug users. This study
 examined differences in criminal career parameters that determine the
 potential incapacitative effects of alternative sentencing policies
 directed at drug-involved offenders. In particular, the researchers
 explored three key aspects of offenders' criminal careers:
 participation, frequency of offending, and termination rates from
 active offending. The study focused on differences in levels of
 serious offending by drug-using from nonusing drug offenders compared
to drug-using and nonusing predatory offenders.
description: Longitudinal arrest data for a sample of arrestees
 were collected to characterize the offending patterns of drug-using
 and nonusing drug offenders and predatory offenders. The sample was
 drawn from adults arrested in Washington, DC, on any charge from July
 1, 1985, to June 30, 1986. Data were collected from case files
 maintained by the Washington, DC, Pretrial Services Agency for 883
 arrestees and 5,387 arrests. Previous and subsequent arrests of the
 same individual were linked to form an arrest history. Within the
 sample of arrestees, three main types of offenders were distinguished
 based on offense charge at target arrest: (1) drug offenders, (2)
 predatory offenders (persons charged with robbery or burglary), and
 (3) all others. This study focused on the first two groups and
 distinguished drug users from nonusers based on the results of a urine
drug screen administered following the target arrest.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: Stratified random sample of adult arrestees.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Incapacitation Effects of Incarcerating Drug Offenders: Longitudinal Arrest Histories of Adults Arrested in Washington, DC, 1985-1986
description: Adult arrestees in Washington, DC, from the period July 1,
1985, to June 30, 1986.
description: (1) The dataset is hierarchical and contains three
 record types. Record Type 1, comprised of 13 variables and 883
 records, contains stable personal information. Each unique individual
 represented in the data has a single Record Type 1. Record Type 2,
 comprised of 49 variables and 5,387 records, contains changing
 personal information at the time of arrest. Record Type 3, comprised
 of 78 variables and 5,387 records, contains arrest and court
 information. Each occurrence of Record Type 1 has at least one
 associated Record Type 2. Each occurrence of Record Type 2 has exactly
 one associated Record Type 3. (2) The user guide and codebook are
 provided as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format
 was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using
 PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on
 how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR
Website.