Drug Use and Criminal Activity

General Issues in Research Design
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General Issues in Research Design
Does drug use cause crime? (Support your answer with concepts from our text)
Drug use and crime are two closely related phenomena in criminology. Discussions about the occurrence of the two practices highlight the concept of temporal order because of the bidirectional influences between the two issues (Maxfield & Babbie, 2018). For instance, drug users often engage in criminal activities to acquire funds for paying for the drugs. In turn, the consumption of drugs facilitates ease in the execution of illegal activities. Such elements demonstrate that drug use is a concerning cause of crime in society.
How does the concept of generalizability shape your empirical understanding of the potential link between drug use and criminal activity?
Generalizability illustrates whether particular research findings apply to the general population. Its use is particularly informative in confirming the empirical understanding that drug use and criminal activities are closely linked by illustrating that people with one practice also display the other (Maxfield & Babbie, 2018). As a result, this technique shapes one’s perception that criminal activit...