Challenging assumptions

The diagram below depicts the common understanding of the way in which the psychopharmacological effect of substance use leads to criminal activity. [...] The challenge of re-framing the association of substance use and crime is exacerbated by the police, media and offenders themselves. [...] The diagram below illustrates the effect of the high cost of dependence on two drugs—cocaine and heroin— and how this may result in acquisitive criminal behaviour according to the economically compulsive model. [...] The strength of the association depended, in part, on the type of offence and the type of disorder (Swartz & Lurigio, 2007). [...] Thus, in order to maximize the utility of the tripartite framework, it must be adapted, as many researchers have done, to meet the evolving needs of society to prevent and address substance use and crime.