Alcohol Consumption, Unemployment And Their Association With Criminal Behaviour Among Inmates Convicted For Violent Crimes In Jos Prison, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Alcohol consumption is a social habit. However, if alcohol is taken in a large quantity or if the individual is addicted to it, it is said to be abnormal for the behaviour that emanates from it can be dangerous and harmful to those around; some become violent or commit violent crimes. This is the basis for this work. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between crime, alcohol abuse and unemployment. Methods: A sample of 83 prisoners convicted for murders and confined in the Jos prison (82 men and 1 female) were evaluated using a structured clinical interview using a questionnaire. Results:Results show that there was no significant relationship between unemployment, violent crimes and alcohol consumption (P> 0.05); 83.4% of those unemployed and who committed the crime were not under the influence of alcohol while 78.7% of those employed who committed the crime were not under the influence of alcohol. Furthermore, only 27.55 of all participants used in this experiment were unemployed at the time they were charged with the crime. None of the prisoners obtained a diagnosis of dependence on any substance or was unemployed and neither were these criminals\' psychopaths since their records revealed that all of them were committing the crime for the first time. This means alcohol and unemployment are not associated with criminal behaviour in these inmates. Conclusion: There was therefore, no significant correlation between alcohol, consumption unemployment and the crimes committed. Key words: Alcohol, violence, criminal behaviour, unemployment Highland Medical Research Journal Vol. 3 (1) 2005: 43-4