DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06254.v1
title: Violent Offending by Drug Users: Longitudinal Arrest Histories of Adults Arrested in Washington, DC, 1985-1986
title: Version 1

description: This data collection effort examined the influence of drug
 use on three key aspects of offenders' criminal careers in violence:
 participation, frequency of offending, and termination rate. A random
 sample of arrestees was taken from those arrested in Washington, DC,
 during the period July 1, 1985, to June 6, 1986. The sample was
 stratified to overrepresent groups other than Black males. Drug use
 was determined by urinalysis results at the time of arrest, as
 contrasted with previous studies that relied on self-reports of drug
 use. The research addresses the following questions: (1) Does drug use
 have an influence on participation in violent criminal activity? (2)
 Does drug use influence the frequency of violent offending? (3) Is
 there a difference in the types and rates of violent offending between
 drug-using offenders who use stimulants and those who use depressants?
 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, birthdate, and place
of birth.
description: The study was conducted to examine the
 relationship between drug use and violent criminal behaviors. The
 research addresses the following questions: (1) Does drug use have an
 influence on participation in violent criminal activity? (2) Does drug
 use influence the frequency of offending for violent crimes? (3) Is
 there a difference in the types and rates of violent offending between
 drug-using offenders who use stimulants and those who use depressants?
 This research may impact criminal justice decisions by delineating the
 role of drug use in different aspects of violent offending. The
 research suggests that drug use may be an aggravating factor among
 drug-using violent offenders who commit violent crimes at higher
 frequencies and over more extended time periods than do nonusing
violent offenders.
description: Longitudinal arrest data for a sample of arrestees
 were collected to characterize the violent offending patterns of drug
 users and nonusers. The sample included 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 1,368 arrestees and 7,117 arrests. Previous and
 subsequent arrests of the same individual were linked together to form
 an arrest history. Arrest histories date back to 1943 and continue
 through 1990. A major emphasis of the study was to refine measures of
 offending in order to better distinguish different aspects of violent
 offending by drug users and nonusers. Offending by drug users and
 nonusers, as determined by outcomes of urinalysis at the time of
 arrest, was characterized in terms of several distinct aspects of
 individual offending, particularly: (1) participation in violence
 estimated from the fraction of arrestees with any arrests for violent
 offenses, (2) frequency of violence reflected in the annual rate of
 violent criminal activity by these active offenders, and (3)
termination rates of ending involvement in violent activities.
description: The data are contained in three different record
 types. Record type 1 contains identifying information that remains
 constant over an individual's lifetime (e.g., race, sex, birthdate,
 place of birth). Each individual has one record type 1. Record type 2
 contains personal information of a changing nature at each arrest
 (e.g., marital status, employment, substance abuse information,
 probation and parole information). There is a record type 2 for each
 arrest. Consequently, each record type 1 has at least one
 corresponding record type 2. Record type 3 contains arrest and court
 information for each arrest (e.g., charges, warrant information, case
 disposition, and sentencing). Each record type 2 has one, and only
one, corresponding record type 3.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: Stratified random sample of adult arrestees.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Data File
DS2: SAS Data Definition Statements
description: Adult arrestees in Washington, DC, from the period July 1,
1985, to June 30, 1986.
description: The dataset is hierarchical and contains three record
 types. Record type 1, comprised of 13 variables and 1,368 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 7,117 records, contains changing
 personal information at the time of arrest. Record type 3, comprised
 of 78 variables and 7,117 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.