Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains the application of the theory of the autopoietic subject to deviant drug- and crime-related pathways. It examines the theoretical implications of the notions of trajectories and careers, when used in conjunction with the notion of deviant pathways and, more precisely, in the explanation of the drug-crime relationship in an individual life course. The book also examines the pathways of youths involved in both drugs and delinquency. It identifies the factors contributing to the continuation or termination of delinquent youth pathways, viewed more specifically in terms of drug use and delinquent behaviour. The book explores the stages of the progression of the drug-crime relationship as experienced by a group of cocaine users, then the methods used by the middlemen of the crack trade to deal drugs in an open drug scene.