Familial crime

In 2002, the New York Times published an account of three generations of the Bogle family, a group with 28 members convicted of various crimes.89 The Times article noted that crime often runs in families, but contained no discussion of the actual origins of familial crime. 

Psychosocial and environmental factors play a major role in the development and recovery from opioid dependence however, a detailed discussion is beyond the scope of this chapter. In general, the use of such drugs as marijuana and alcohol precedes the use of opioids (Clayton and Voss 1981 Kandel and Faust 1975). Although one cannot predict definitively which users will proceed to opioid use, those who do generally have low self-esteem, disrupted families, and/or difficult relationships with their parents. The increased availability of opioids in inner cities of major urban centers contributes to initiation of use and relapse. It is particularly difficult to avoid use and relapse in areas with high unemployment, poor school systems, and high crime rates, because living in such an area may contribute to the very affects opioid use temporarily reheves. 

The value placed on efficiency and predictability, and the institutional pressures for cost-containment, accountability and measurability are enhancing the appeal of reductionist theories. They fit with the tendency to locate social problems in individual pathology. They suit the actuarial mentality that places faith in statistical information as a means to predict and minimize future risk.7 Genetic and evolutionary explanations have become a way to address the issues that trouble society - the perceived decline of the family, the problems of crime and persistent poverty, changes in the ethnic structure of the population, and the pressures on public schools. 

He could be, I said. The Council of Ten has been known to accept a massive fine in return for a secret pardon, even for major crimes. Even if it hasn t done so in this case, it s been eight years. He wears a thick beard and Zorzi was clean-shaven. All the servants who knew Zorzi have gone and the genuine Jacopo, if there ever was one, could have been disposed of with a bag of silver and a ticket to Rome or Milan. The family is very small, with no close relatives on either side. Jacopo obviously has more money... 

The main acute effect is inebriation, which in turn spawns violence, spousal and child abuse, crime, motor vehicle accidents, workplace and home accidents, drowning, suicide, and accidental death. The chronic effects include alcoholism, liver disease, various forms of cancer, brain disorders, cardiovascular disease and other organ system effects, absence from or loss of work, family dysfunction, and malnutrition. 

A number of studies have found that having a handgun in the home increases the risk of a family member becoming a homicide or suicide victim. Is this presence of a gun a cause of or a response to crime or social pathology ... 

Polsby Daniel D. The False Promise of Gun Control. Atlantic Monthly, March 1994, pp. 57ff. Argues that gun control laws do not work and actually increase the disadvantage between law-abiding citizens and criminals. Social problems, such as poor education, lack of jobs, and broken families, rather than guns, are the root cause of crime that must be addressed. 

Kopel, David B., ed. Guns Who Should Have Them Amherst, N.Y. Prometheus Books, 1995. Presents opinions by experts in law, criminology, medicine, psychiatry, and feminist studies suggests that the emphasis on gun control is misplaced and that the real causes of crime lie in social factors such as the breakdown of the family. 

Ethanol is the most widely abused drug in the world. There are more than 10 million alcoholics in the United States alone. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages has been linked to as many as half of all traffic accidents, two-thirds of homicides, and three-fourths of suicides, and it is a significant factor in other crimes, in family problems, and in personal and industrial accidents. The annual cost to the American economy has been estimated to exceed 100 billion in lost productivity, medical care, and property damage. 

The legal story associated with Ecstasy does not end with drug producers, traffickers, and dealers. Unfortunately, because of its addictive properties. Ecstasy users must often resort to a life of crime in order to fund their addiction. Story after story exists regarding Ecstasy users who could no longer afford to buy Ecstasy pills and were forced to steal from their family or friends in order to maintain their habit. 

Stop interrupting. There are nuns who wear habits like that. I got in to see her when nobody else would have done, except other family members, of which she has none. We had a long talk. Bianca had more opportunity to see the crime committed than anyone else did, because she was at her grandfather s side all the time. ... 

I did not say she committed the crime, though. Aspasia made a moue of disapproval. The old man wanted... wasinsisting that she return to the convent and take her vows. Bianca s a lively child, or would be if she got the chance. She did not want to. Now her father is head of the family, and he may be more... 

Most crimes have an obvious motive, but this one did not. The procurator had reached the pinnacle of his political career, his honored son now supervised the family business affairs, and most of his old enemies have long since preceded him to a better realm. The minister will understand that I speak in generalities when I note that family members are generally more likely to have motives for violence than strangers are, unless we include footpads and pirates, who are not in evidence in this case. I trust that Ambassador Tirali will take no offense at an observation that poison seems an extreme way to eliminate a rival bidder in a book sale. ... 

Personal and social consequences This section describes the impact of drug use on the user s personal life, including friendships, family relationships, and job performance. Also included are discussions of the drug s use on society as a whole, such as associated crime and violence. 

Amphetamine abusers and addicts become preoccupied with when and where they will be able to get their next dose. Relationships with family and friends frequently deteriorate as the drug takes center stage in the addict s life. Money problems may began to surface as the addict funds his growing habit. Substance abuse also contributes to crime, domestic violence, sexual assault, drop-out rates, unemployment, and homelessness. It is also a factor in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy. 

Although many young people who joined the hallucinogen subculture went on to hold jobs, marry, create families, and be responsible adults, there is little doubt that many young people were harmed and their lives permanently set back. In consequence, LSD was classified as a Schedule I substance, and its possession and distribution were made crimes. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) was created to promote scientific research into drug abuse and addiction. 

Most criminal offenses involve a deliberate decision to perform an act that is proscribed by the criminal law. The criminal law requires the state to prove that the defendant committed a guilty act (actus reus), while simultaneously manifesting the necessary mental state (mens rea, or guilty mind) that is specified for that crime. Consider a case in which a person hammers to death a family member and then claims to have been asleep at the time of the attack. Because a guilty act must be voluntary, a question of fact arises concerning the person s consciousness and the effect that impaired consciousness, or indeed unconsciousness, has on voluntariness (4). In addition, consciousness bears on the guilty state of mind and is therefore relevant to the mens rea inquiry. 

There are two ways to calculate the costs of drug abuse on society. There are direct costs drug treatment, healthcare costs, court fees, and lost wages. Indirect costs include loss of productivity for those hurt in a drug-related crime, the pain and suffering abuse can cause, and drug-abuse related illness. Thus, the detection of drug abuse is not only important for the individual themselves, but for their family and friends, and for all of those around them. 

From there the trail leads directly into the American crime syndicate, through the Hofjuden Bronfman family. 

Canadian outpost of the British monarchy, the drug traders close the circle between the Keswick family of Hong Kong, the founders of Jardine Matheson in 1828, and the Bronfman family, the immediate sponsors of the top levels of so-called organized crime in the United States. 

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