THE DRUG AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF URBAN OFFENDERS - A MARKOV-CHAIN ANALYSIS

In criminology, researchers have examined the role of lifestyle and ac tivity patterns on criminal victimization. The vast majority of this r esearch has focused on crime victims as a critical link in criminal vi ctimization, but little attention has been given to the activity patte rns of offenders or the connection between the various elements of the offenders' routine activities. This analysis presents a description o f the activity patterns of 431 offenders who were heavily involved in crime during 1990-1991 in Philadelphia. A first-order Markov chain pro cess best describes the manner in which offenders enter various activi ties. The preliminary analysis of these data not only provides additio nal support for the interrelationship between drug use and crime but a lso demonstrates that offenders participate in a wide array of activit ies.