ABSTRACT
This chapter describes two related controversies in criminology, the relationship between drug use and crime and the issue of specialization among offenders. It applies latent variable analysis as a technique to address the controversies of the drug-crime relationship and the issue of specialization. One of the most consistent findings in criminology has been that a wide range of deviant or criminal behaviors are positively correlated with one another. Three kinds of information are required to infer a causal relationship in social science research. First, the statistical association between the two variables or between cause and effect must be demonstrated. However, as a second requirement, the chapter demonstrates correct causal ordering among the variables. Third, it also demonstrates that other variables do not account for the association between drug use and crime. The most popular hypothesis proposes that drug use leads to crime. This is the hypothesis most consistent with an economics model of drug use and crime.
