Can Psychedelic Drugs Reduce Criminal Behavior?
Studies show that it does, and that’s good news for the criminal justice system
Criminal behavior is loosely defined as any kind of antisocial conduct punishable by law, considered to be a violation of social, moral, and traditional norms. Such kind of behavior has harmful effects on society and often found to be resistant to intervention.
In a 2018 FBI report, drug-related crimes and property crimes are among the top criminal offenses in the United States, comprising 16% and 11% of all arrests, respectively. Violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault only accounts for 5% of offenses — but the cost to the society and suffering of the victims remains high.
Recidivism or the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend following release from prison is also quite alarming, with as much as 76.6% get re-arrested within five years of release.
Various interventions have been developed to reduce the likelihood of recidivism: employment programs, Moral Reconation Therapy, and cognitive-behavioral approaches all show little to no effect. Moreover, violent crime offenders are the least likely to complete treatments and most likely to re-offend after dropout.
