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Crime & Delinquency
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Trends of Criminal Activity and Substance Use in a Sample of Welfare Recipients

Victoria L. Brown

vbrown{at}affiliatedsystems.com

Isaac D. Montoya

Cheryl A. Dayton-Shotts

Tiffany L. Carroll-Curtis

Micah A. Riley

Affiliated Systems Corporation

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 instituted a compulsory work mandate for welfare recipients. However, recipients who experience difficulties finding employment may increase their involvement in criminal activities and their frequency of substance use as a means to deal with changes precipitated by PRWORA. This study used a four-wave panel design to analyze the criminal behaviors and substance-use frequency of 534 welfare recipients in Houston, Texas. Data were collected from the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Skills Assessment (ABSA) instrument designed specifically for this study. Results show that a minority of welfare recipients were involved in criminal activity. Furthermore, although participants were losing their welfare benefits, both criminal activity and substance use declined over time.

Key Words: crime • substance use • employment • TANF • PRWORA

Crime & Delinquency, Vol. 50, No. 1, 6-23 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0011128703258866
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