Alcohol and Crime

This report was prepared as background data for the Assistant Attorney General's April 5-7 National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime. It provides an overview of national information on the role of alcohol in violent victimization and its use among those convicted of crimes. Victim perceptions of alcohol use by offenders at the time of the crime are provided as well as the extent to which alcohol is involved in different categories of crime. The report also summarizes information from national surveys of offenders under probation supervision in the community and offenders incarcerated in local jails and state prisons to learn more about their typical drinking behavior and alcohol use at the time of their crime. Estimates of offender blood-alcohol concentrations (BAC's) at the time of the offense are compared to those of drunken drivers involved in fatal accidents. The report also provides special analyses of alcohol use and domestic violence among murderers.