The influence of alcohol and drug consumption on the decision-making process of young people at the time of committing a serious criminal act

• In Event: Addiction, substance abuse and their effects

Abstract

The research analyzes the influence of alcohol and drug consumption on the decision-making process of young people at the time of committing a serious criminal act, as well as the individual and situational factors that contribute to the emergence of antisocial behavior. The moral decisions that precede the acceptance of the commission of the crime are altered by the use of alcohol and drugs. The mental process that predetermines the act is sensitively influenced by the state of intentional intoxication. The research also includes a meta-analysis of recent studies on the influence of drugs and alcohol on impulsivity and self-control in adolescent users, substance use disorders being associated with affective and conduct disorders. The interviews took place at the Craiova Detention Center, with the 10 participants agreeing to answer questions related to alcohol and drug use. Studies on the intergenerational transmission of violence and alcohol and drug use consider that traumatic events can sometimes become triggering events for the onset of conduct disorder and substance abuse. Most of the participants came from families with low parental control and grew up in neighborhoods with high crime risk. Young people entered criminal groups before the age of 14, a time that coincides with the use of alcohol, ethnobotanicals and marijuana, with participants stating that they experienced a criminal lifestyle with risky activities (theft from homes, at night, from uninhabited houses). Empathy and altruistic behavior towards members of the consumer group turns into antisocial behavior towards members of society. The participants were childhood witnesses and victims of domestic violence, at least one family member was addicted to alcohol and served a sentence in the prison system. In the Detention Center young people respond well to psychological assessments, work and participate in social reintegration activities, considering that they are ready to return to society.

Author

• Camil Tanasescu, UCDC - FSJA