Community Characteristics and Methamphetamine Use in a Rural State: An Analysis of Preincarceration Usage by Prison Inmates

Social disorganization theory attempts to explain the relationships of community characteristics and patterns of illicit drug use, but methamphetamine poses a problem for this perspective. Methamphetamine use is prevalent in rural areas, where greater community social organization may contribute to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Crime and delinquency 2013-10, Vol.59 (7), p.1036-1063
Main Authors: Roussell, Aaron, Holmes, Malcolm D., Anderson-Sprecher, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community development
Correctional institutions
Data collection
Delinquency
Drug Abuse
Drug use
Imprisonment
Linear Analysis
Methamphetamine
Prisoners
Prisons
Rural Areas
Social control
Social Disorganization
Social organization
Social Problems
Socioeconomic Factors
Wyoming
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Summary:Social disorganization theory attempts to explain the relationships of community characteristics and patterns of illicit drug use, but methamphetamine poses a problem for this perspective. Methamphetamine use is prevalent in rural areas, where greater community social organization may contribute to its usage, a possibility examined here using data from a highly rural state. Data were collected from a population of prisoners entering Wyoming state correctional facilities from July 2005 to June 2006. Hierarchical linear models estimated the effects of individual- and county-level variables on preincarceration amphetamine/methamphetamine use and severity of use. Results indicate that individual-level variables predict use, whereas county-level variables predict severity of use. The effects of individual-level measures of social control were consistent with the social disorganization model, whereas the effects of county-level variables provided support for the social organization argument. Implications of the findings for a multidimensional, multilevel conceptualization of the social organization/disorganization continuum are discussed.
ISSN:0011-1287
1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/0011128709336939