Drug Crime Connection

ABSTRACT

This report explores how the cultural ethos, behavioral norms, activities, and individual and group identities (subcultural phenomena), inherent to the electronic dance music (EDMtrance, house, and techno music) and the hip hop/rap (HH) nightclub scenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania impact the relationship between alcohol, drugs, and crime, with additional attention to victimization (the ADC+V relationship). These two music scenes provide a major source of leisure and entertainment activity for many young adults today, yet the subcultures surrounding them are disparate and have been linked to diverse social problems, including alcohol and illegal drug abuse, criminal activity and victimization. This understudied, but increasingly popular social phenomenon has the potential to expand the scope of the drugs - crime debate to settings and populations not previously studied, and also to account for increasingly salient issues in contemporary society. We also elaborate on how the ADC+V relationship varies by two dimensions: the demographic make-up of participants (e.g., race/ethnicity and gender) and their involvement with and commitment to the subcultures...