A legal judgments perspective on illegal drugs

• In Event: Illicit drugs pattern, needs, and treatment

Abstract

The illegal drug market presents peculiar characteristics as a combination of non-standard and standard characteristics, such as the responsiveness of demand and supply to prices (Draca et al., 2019). The global drug market has expanded over the past decades, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (Blankers et al., 2021; Palamar et al., 2021). Drug markets have become increasingly complex regarding the variety and combinations of substances used and trafficked, manufacturing processes, and the organizational structure of drug trafficking organizations. This trend mirrors the economic theory that indicates that an increase in unemployment, especially among young people, stagnation of minimum wages, and lack of opportunities in terms of education and labor market incentivize illegal activities related to the production and trafficking of drugs (Cramer 2010). Yet, the lack of quantitative data for such a complex activity is critical in analysing this phenomenon (Beckert and Wehinger, 2013; Moeller et al., 2021). From a supply-side perspective, this paper focuses on Italy, especially the peripheral region of Sardinia, which has only recently been experiencing a change in its criminal structure (Becker et al., 1968; Detotto et al., 2015; Villani et al., 2019). Mixed methods support objectively interpreting these critical socio-economic changes. First, this paper offers a descriptive quantitative analysis of the degree of specialization at a country and regional level regarding the evolution and dynamics of quantity seized, prices, and potential revenues. Second, a sub-set of legal judgments offers a novel perspective covering illegal narcotrafficking from 2014-2018. Computer Assisted Qualitative Document Analysis Software classifies legal documents, and content analysis contributes to systematically investigating information objectively (Schebesta, 2018). The findings provide different dimensions of illegal drug activity (who, what, where, when; see Yin, 1994), and complementary crime effects (Hughes et al., 2019).

Authors

• Manuela Pulina, University of Sassari

• Anna Bussu, Edge Hill University

• Domenica Giovanna Dettori, University of Sassari

• Maria Gabriela Ladu, University of Aquila