Law and Order: Dealing with repeat drug offenders in property crimes

Abstract

Recidivism in property crimes (theft, robbery, and receiving stolen goods) linked to problematic drug use remains a recurring challenge for public safety and correctional governance. It often manifests as a short cycle of arrest–release–reoffending, with repeated victimization, increased institutional costs, and limited preventive impact when the State response relies primarily on episodic incapacitation. This theoretical-analytical article, grounded in a narrative review and document analysis, frames “Law and Order” as the State’s capacity to deliver protection through legality, proportionality, and procedural legitimacy. Four analytical pillars are integrated: (i) the drugs–crime nexus through Goldstein’s tripartite model, emphasizing economically compulsive dynamics; (ii) routine activity theory as an opportunity-structure explanation; (iii) the Risk–Need–Responsivity (RNR) correctional paradigm as a proportional targeting framework; and (iv) evidence on therapeutic jurisprudence and drug courts. The core argument is that purely punitive strategies often address symptoms without reshaping underlying mechanisms, whereas integrated approaches—combining accountability, risk triage, graduated supervision, and structured access to treatment—are more likely to reduce property-crime recidivism and strengthen operational predictability.