The relationship between ALCOHOL and involvement in crime is not a simple one. Drinking is a very common activity, and most drinking is not followed by criminal behavior. Understanding the alcohol-crime relationship requires an identification of those drinking effects and circumstances that are related to crime. Alcohol's relationship to crime also varies by the type of crime. The major crime-type distinction is between violent personal crime (such as homicide, forcible rape, and assault) and property crime (such as burglary and larceny). Alcohol's effects differ with respect to violent crime and property crime. Individual characteristics are also implicated in the alcohol-crime relationship. Age and gender, for example, affect whether drinking leads to criminal behavior. Young adult males are more likely than older adult males and females of all ages to engage in alcohol-related offenses.

According to the available evidence, drinking is more likely to be...