THE NEXUS BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND VIOLENT CRIME

The present study examines the nexus between alcohol and violent crime by specifying alcohol as a moderating variable that may interact with other major causes of violent crime. Four major causes of violent cri me at the individual level are identified: deviant motives or attitude s, aggression and hostility, impulsivity, and problem-solving ability. Analyses are conducted at two levels of aggravated assault: prevalenc e of assault and frequency of assault. At the level of prevalence of a ssault, data indicate that the usual drinking pattern does not constit ute an independent cause, but has significant interactions with two of the major causes: deviant attitudes and aggression and hostility. How ever, in the analysis of the frequency of assault, the findings indica te a pattern that both usual drinking pattern and drinking before offe nding have independent explanatory power for aggravated assault, but n o interactions were found. These findings suggest that alcohol may hav e different roles in explaining different levels of violent offending.