Lois B. DeFleur

BIASING INFLUENCES ON DRUG ARREST RECORDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVIANCE RESEARCH*

Despite repeated demonstrations that a variety of factors bias official records, such records are widely used in deviance research. The crucial issue relating to such use is whether biasing factors are random (tending to cancel each other out) or systematic (reducing validity for research to unacceptable degrees). Deviance statistics are generated in contexts whose numerous biasing factors can distort the occurrence rates of deviant acts. This study examines the influence of such factors on drug arrest records in Chicago. Three decades of arrests were studied and related to findings from extensive field research in the Narcotics Division of the Chicago Police. Drug arrest statistics for both whites and nonwhites revealed distinct trends and distributions over time and space. These patterns reflect systematic biases in the operations of police assigned to the Narcotics Division. These and other such biases argue that we ought not to rely on indices of drug activity derived from arrest records.

Mass Media Influences on Public Conceptions of Social Problems.

The present paper explores possible relationships between the mass media of communication and social problems by three-way comparisons between the incidence of social problems suggested in media portrayals, conceptions of the incidence of these problems held by the public, and the relative frequency of such problems reflected in statistics accumulated by official agencies. The paper summarizes several theoretical perspectives used by those studying the media and it sets forth conceptions of the developmental stages of social problems. These will provide a background for a discussion of the roles that the media may play in the emergence of such problems in our society. Official statistics on social problems and public conceptions of their prevalence are analyzed empirically in the context of a study of local media emphasis of selected problems in a specific community.

The Long-Term Social Correlates of Opiate Addiction

A follow-up study was undertaken of former heroin addicts from Puerto Rico who had been federal prisoners at the U. S. Public Health Hospital in Lexington between 1935 and 1962. Extensive data were obtained for each subject including: a field interview, an urinalysis to check on addiction status, and a current FBI record. With these data, the long-term social correlates of heroin addiction were examined. First, drug use, arrests, and occupational careers of the subjects over time were traced. Second, by bringing together a number of pre-addiction and post-addiction characteristics, the life patterns of the subjects were analyzed.

Alternative Strategies for the Development of Delinquency Theories Applicable to Other Cultures

Delinquency theories based upon observations of the United States may be irrelevant when applied to other populations. An example of the errors inherent in the uncritical application of U.S. theories is provided by an attempt to test Albert Cohens theory in Cordoba, Argentina. Subcultural delinquency patterns different from those described by Cohen were found. In attempting preliminary theory-building to account for these patterns, the general structural and cultural characteristics of Argentina were used as a beginning point. Marginal institutional participation of the lower class was recognized as a key factor in accounting for delinquency in this setting.

Organizational and Ideological Barriers to Sex Integration in Military Groups

This article summarizes salient factors affecting sex integration in traditionally all male fields that have emerged from prior studies. The operation of these variables in military groups is illustrated through the use of existing literature as well as data from a four-year study at the U.S. Air Force Academy. These variables include organizational characteristics such as sex-linked roles, social control systems as well as the numerical ratios and social attributes of group members. Occupational ideology also affects integration and particularly elements that stress male exclusivity and gender differentiation. The parameters of these organizational and ideological factors affect the outcome of sex integration. The data summarized here point to the slow pace of the integration of women into the full range of military roles and ranks.

Cadet Beliefs, Attitudes and Interactions During the Early Phases of Sex-Integration.

It has been thirty years since an executive order abolished racial segregation in the armed forces and in that time there has been substantial progress toward the integration of minorities into service life. A large number of studies have documented the integration process, as well as individual adaptations in various military settings (Moskos, 197 I ; Coates and Pellegrin, 1965; Evans and Lane, 1956). Not all of these are in agreement concerning the success of racial integration. Until recently the military was in the forefront of equality in terms of traditional