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Alcohol use and negative affect in the offence cycle
Author(s) -
Day Andrew,
Howells Kevin,
Heseltine Karen,
Casey Sharon
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
criminal behaviour and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1471-2857
pISSN - 0957-9664
DOI - 10.1002/cbm.530
Subject(s) - recidivism , affect (linguistics) , psychology , criminal behavior , alcohol , rehabilitation , inclusion (mineral) , social psychology , psychiatry , neuroscience , biochemistry , chemistry , communication
It is commonly acknowledged that, for many offenders, alcohol use is strongly associated with criminal behaviour. The belief held by many professionals that the two phenomena are associated, probably in a causal way, has led to the inclusion of alcohol use as a ‘criminogenic need’ in many settings where rehabilitation programmes are used to reduce recidivism. However, the mechanisms and pathways involved in the alcohol–crime link remain poorly understood. Argument and conclusion This paper reviews the literature relating to alcohol–offending links and draws some inferences about the role of alcohol use as a criminogenic need in offender rehabilitation. It is proposed that the bi‐directional relationship between alcohol use and negative affective states is important in understanding the offence cycle, and that deficits in self‐regulation not only characterize both alcohol misuse and negative affect but are also implicated in the offending behaviour itself. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.