The Intoxicating Effect of Co-offending: Group Offending, Alcohol, and Substance Use

• In Event: Gang- and Group-based Offending and Victimization

Abstract

Research on collective behavior and group violence consistently demonstrates that co-offending increases the severity of violent crimes. There is strong empirical evidence suggesting that the group nature of co-offending changes individuals’ willingness to participate in violence and distorts the anticipated rewards and consequences of their actions. Alcohol and drugs also impair decision-making in strikingly similar ways; substance use lowers inhibitions, reduces anticipated behavioral accountability, and increases sensitivity to perceived threats. Despite these parallels in the literature on group contexts and substance use, scholars have yet to explicitly examine how co-offending, alcohol, and drugs interact to influence violent offending. The current study uses 2015-16 NIBRS data to investigate the interactive effects of co-offenders and substance use on the severity of violent crimes, controlling for the type of offense, firearm use, gang involvement, and offender and victim characteristics. Results indicate that the risk of serious and/or lethal injury is significantly higher in crimes with multiple offenders or when the offender(s) were intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. The combination of co-offenders and substance use further intensifies this effect. Supplementary analyses also examine three-way interactions between co-offending, substance use, and the offenders’ gender or age on violent crime outcomes.

Authors

• Sarah Renee Wouters, Florida State University

• Brendan Lantz, Florida State University