Need drugs, will travel?: The distances to crime of illegal drug buyers

PurposeThis study examines distances to crime among illegal drug buyers while controlling for buyer, drug, and destination characteristics.MethodsGeocoded arrests for drug buyers in an urban municipality, over a three year period, spatially identify major drug markets. Negative binomial regression is used to model compositional characteristics of drug arrestees and contextual effects of markets on distance to arrest (n = 4,082).ResultsTrip distance to drug purchase arrest varies by drug market. Being white, and having prior contact with the criminal justice system correlated with longer trip distances. Additional compositional effects vary by drug type.ConclusionsIn line with prior journey to crime research and crime pattern theory, illicit drug buyers are arrested in close proximity of their homes. Future research should consider the extent to which short aggregate market distances reflect policing differentials and close social ties.

► Arrestees that purchased heroin traveled farther than marijuana arrestees ► Whites traveled the farthest distances to arrest locations ► The effects of age and gender on trip distance vary by drug type ► Hispanics traveled the shortest distances to arrest locations, but only for heroin ► Modeling revealed market level effects on individual trip distances to arrest