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Community Characteristics and Methamphetamine Use in a Rural State: An Analysis of Preincarceration Usage by Prison Inmates

¹ University of California, Irvine
² University of Wyoming

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mholmes{at}uwyo.edu.

	Abstract

Social disorganization theory attempts to explain the relationships of community characteristics and patterns of illicit drug use, but methamphetamine poses a problem for this perspective. Methamphetamine use is prevalent in rural areas, where greater community social organization may contribute to its usage, a possibility examined here using data from a highly rural state. Data were collected from a population of prisoners entering Wyoming state correctional facilities from July 2005 to June 2006. Hierarchical linear models estimated the effects of individual- and county-level variables on preincarceration amphetamine/methamphetamine use and severity of use. Results indicate that individual-level variables predict use, whereas county-level variables predict severity of use. The effects of individual-level measures of social control were consistent with the social disorganization model, whereas the effects of county-level variables provided support for the social organization argument. Implications of the findings for a multidimensional, multilevel conceptualization of the social organization/disorganization continuum are discussed.

First published on July 1, 2009
Crime & Delinquency 2009, doi:10.1177/0011128709336939


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