Although alcohol consumption has indeed increased the amount of beers and lagers consumed has decreased. Spirits and wines have become more popular, as have the ‘alco-pops’ targeted at younger people and ‘designer drinks’ such as wkd and mule targeted at young women. ( Kenny et al, 2003:69). With younger people and more women drinking this is one explanation for the rise in the use of alcohol. It has also become more socially acceptable for women to go out drinking. They have better employment opportunities and more disposable income, (Kenny et al,2003:45).
Young people are also drinking more often. As suggested earlier the introduction of ‘alco- pops’ may have been a contributory factor. These high alcohol content drinks that taste sweet and not of alcohol, are very popular with the young. Whilst some of the drinking is done at home, a lot of under-age drinking takes place in clubs, pubs and also on the streets and parks. (Kenny et al,2003:68). It could be suggested that stricter laws could be enforced that may eleviate this situation. This will be discussed further on.
The rate of under-age drinking has also steadily risen within the UK. To date the United Kingdom has the highest rates of binge-drinkinhg and drinking for 15 – 16yr olds in Europe, (Kenny et al, and 2003:45).
It has been suggested that the increase in under-age drinking could be linked to how easy alcohol is to get hold of and the cultural trend of high risk taking by young people, (Newcombe and McGee 1989).
Concerns are also raised over the use of alcohol and the effects on health it can have, both mentally and physically. 2001 World Health Organisation listed in it’s summary the physical consequences of regular heavy drinking. These included hepatitis, ulcers, gout, strokes, impotence and heart disease.
Alcohol Concern (2002), also reported depression, insomnia, amnesia and attempted suicide as some of the psychological problems that heavy drinking could lead to.
While it has been suggested that a staggeringly high number of deaths are directly attributable to the use of alcohol, (Leader, the Guardin,2002), others have suggested that the number of deaths cannot be truly accounted for due to there being differing interpretations of alcohol related death. Whilst some include a death from liver disease, others would not .
However it is the general opinion, (Home Office 1981; Hingson and Howland, 1999; Rospa, 1988), that alcohol is a major contributory factor in accidental deaths.
One of the major social implications of alcohol misuse is it’s effect on people’s behaviour towards others (Kenny et al,2003:134). In particular the link it has to crime.
There has been considerable amount of research carried out on the link between alcohol and crime, but evidence of alcohol use in crime and offending is not gathered regularly or stringently. However it is generally acknowledged that the relationship is a complex one (Alcohol Concern, 2001).
Fossey et al ( 1996:66), suggested that the connection between drinking and crime is frequently unclear and the precise role of alcohol is often a matter for conjecture. Alcohol Concern (2001), go on to argue that the people who actually work in the criminal justice system and health services are confronted daily with the results of alcohol –related crime. They believe the policy’s emphasis on illicit drugs has over estimated drug related crime and under estimated the links between alcohol and offending.
The National Association of Probation Officers (1994) reported that thirty per cent of offenders on probation and fifty-eight per cent of prisoners had severe alcohol problems and that alcohol was a factor in their offence or pattern of offending.
Alcohol especially appears to be a dominant factor in violent crimes and offences committed. The British Crime survey reported in 2000 that in over forty per cent of violent incidents, the assailant had been under the influence of alcohol. The most common associations are between alcohol misuse and violent crime and property offences, (Kenny et al, 2003:143).
This is reflected in the high number of violent acts that occur in clubs and pubs. The Home Office reported that offenders were found to be intoxicated in over eighty five per cent of crimes committed in clubs and pubs. A high amount of incidents are happening on a Friday and Saturday night around closing time. The Working Group on the Prevention of Violence Associated with Licensed Premises suggested that assailants tended to be predominantly males in the 18 – 30 range and manual workers or unemployed, (IAS :2002). However a Home Office report in 1987 stated that the Police thought that underage drinkers were generally widely involved in violence and disorder, both inside and outside licensed premises. This sparked a call for cracking down on the underage-drinking situation.
It has been suggested (IAS, 2002), that factors linked to the higher rates of violence include the over crowding in bars, poor layout and the slow flow of traffic. Two hundred people squashed into a bar that will comfortably hold seventy-five will cause frustration and feelings of aggression. The lack of availability of food and the high number of discount drinks that encourage heavy drinking are also seen as a contributory factor. Serving food tends to be associated with less incidents of aggression, (Deehan, 1999).
Another factor that is suggested to have an effect is bar workers who don’t practice responsible serving and aggression and intimidation from the door staff. Door staff would benefit from being experienced and able to pre-empt aggressive situations. Bar staff are overstretched but need to recognise the customer that has been stood at the bar for over ten minutes watching people come after him getting served. Feelings of frustration and anger could then come to the surface.
The violent offences occurring with use of alcohol are reflected in the amount of offenders appearing before court or on Community Rehabilitation Orders for affray, assault occasioning actual body harm and common assault. A high number of them admit to have been drinking before the offence occurred.
There is also a strong link between alcohol and domestic violence. Kenny et al (2003), suggest that due to the nature of many domestic incidents and the reluctance of the victim to report fully the details it is difficult to quantify the problem. However the British Medical Association (1989), reported that over forty per cent of domestic violence were alcohol related and other researchers have suggested that 60 – 70% of men who assaulted their partners did so under the influence of alcohol. Victims of domestic violence have said that they are more likely to be the subject of a violent attack when their husband or partner is drunk, (Mason and Wilson, 1989:3).
For probation officers dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence the use of alcohol is often evident. When describing the incident that occurred and the events leading up to it there is often mention of a drink being had. Many have indeed said that they had had ‘one to many’ and that it may not have happened had they not been drinking. This is not just the case for domestic violence offences but a lot of offences where the offender had been drinking.
So what is being done by the Government to eleviate the situation. The ‘sensible drinking’ white paper was produced in 1992. This was to suggest what the sensible limits were for adults, (Kenny et al, 2003:126). Twenty-one units for men and fourteen for women per week. A unit being half a pint of lager or the like. However, it was recognised that many people limited their drinking to the weekend and that the consumption of twenty one units over two days was not ‘sensible’ but ‘binge drinking’ (more than five drinks at one time). Following a review of the original white paper 3-4 units for men and 2-3 for women per day were seen as sensible drinking.
There has been a lot of criticism of the government on their approach to tackling the alcohol misuse situation. Alcohol is a legal substance and therefore there is less legislation and policy guidance surrounding the use of alcohol than exists in the field of illicit drugs, (Kenny et al,2003:193). There are numerous strategies in place for tackling the illegal drugs issue. The anti-drugs budget is to raise from £695 million to £996 million in the next couple of years alone.
In 1998 a green paper titled ‘Our healthier Nation’ was produced and this committed the Government to publishing a national alcohol strategy. Alcohol Concern (1999) produced a draft strategy, but as yet no complete strategy has been produced as yet.
Leader, (2002) suggests that the Home Office is only doing some thing about it now because of the effects on the crime reduction strategy they have.
“..they have been forced to move because of the way in which
alcohol was ruining its crime reduction programme. On almost
every front monitored by the British Crime Survey……..
crime has been falling dramatically, but thanks to alcohol,
“stranger violence” has continued to rise.”
The strategy and legislation was originally due in 1998. It is more likely to be 2004. The key aims are to reduce the level of alcohol induced ill health, reduce alcohol related injuries, reduce alcohol related crime, road accidents and economic loss in the workplace due to alcohol misuse.
The Government has also been criticised over licensing bill, which will potentially allow pubs and clubs to be opened twenty four hours if they so wish. The government argues that it will “encourage a more relaxed drinking culture …..and avoid the potential problems that can arise when premises send all their patrons onto the streets at the sane time”. (IAS, 2002).
Kettle (the Guardian,2003), suggests that the bill has been designed to extend the culture of public drunkenness and the consequences that will arise from it. There will be more work for police, cleaners and costs to the taxpayer.
“By general consent the worst thing you can do to an
individual alcoholic is to make it easier for him to get another
drink. It is the same for an alcoholic Nation”.
(Kettle, 2003)
The Government has also been criticised by agencies that feel that the licensing bill contradicts the National Strategy. On one hand they are trying to reduce alcohol-related issues and on the other they are making alcohol even more accessible.
All-day drinking has been allowed in Scotland since 1976 and there has been a rise in alcohol-related disease, binge-drinking and knife crime in the City. The same is true for Ireland, (Kettle, 2003).
What then for the probation officer. One of the key objectives of the National Strategy is for the Probation Service to be required to routinely undertake pre-sentencing assessments in drink driving cases, with an option for treatment orders. The Probation Service presently undertake a high number of pre-sentence reports for the Courts and at times struggle to keep up with the amount that are requested. A higher number of reports being requested would put a lot of strain on the resources and probation officers time. Time which is already stretched. More staff may be needed to cope with the extra demands. Although the service is continually recruiting, it is also true to say that there are a lot of officers leaving the service too. Caseloads will be getting higher and morale will be lower.
The suggestion of referring people for treatment orders for alcohol problems may be difficult to implement. And with drug testing orders, the offender needs to recognise that they have a problem and need to be willing to do something about it. If there is no motivation they are less likely to fail, which will no doubt have consequences.
Probation Officers appear to deal with more offenders with alcohol related issues and offences than those of drugs, (Kenny et al,2003:329). Forty six per cent have alcohol problems in relation to thirty five per cent with drug problems. Yet the main focus seem to be on tackling the illegal drugs issue. £1.1 million of Central Government and Probation funds were spent on alcohol prevention in 2001. £91.45 million was spent on illegal drugs interventions, (Kenny et al,2003,329). The expansion of treatment initiatives working with those using illegal substances has not been matched by a parallel growth in alcohol services and this is something that would need to be addressed if the alcohol problem is to be tackled in a serious way.
Although a lot of staff may be aware of alcoholic issues there are many that are not and in these situations appropriate training in these areas would be beneficial. It is advantageous for an officer to be able to refer an offender onto a specialist agency that is trained specifically in dealing with these matters. But it is all too common for there to be waiting lists, requirements and inconsistencies for such services.
“ Despite the emergence of a range of partnerships in
community safety and criminal justice as well as
alcohol specific structures, systems for addressing
misuse within the criminal justice system remain
‘ad hoc’.”
(Kenny et al, 2003).
It does indeed appear that alcohol is the neglected issue of the criminal justice system, even though the costs, in all ways are higher than that of any other drug. There needs to be a greater awareness of the effects that it can have not just on the individual but the wider implications on society as a whole.
How many of us have been getting ready for a night out and had a couple of drinks to get ‘warmed up’. And then gone out and kept on drinking. Many people can be labelled as ‘binge-drinkers’. We are all aware of the effects that drinking can have on our bodies, as are the people who light up their next cigarette and the coffee addicts. Unfortunately I come into all three catergories.
Drinking plays a mostly enjoyable part in our culture.
But not everyone drinks in moderation and alcohol misuse can have serious consequences. Some of these consequences can be seen clearly: town and city centre violence and disorder on weekend evenings, teenagers drinking in parks and public places, and people with serious alcohol problems who drink on the streets and are at risk of homelessness.
But the difference is the links that alcohol has with crime and offending. If people are going to drink in excess they need to be able to control themselves and be aware of the effects on other people around them. Their partners, children, work colleagues. Alcohol is indeed a neglected issue that needs to be focused on more in society. The bar man who ignores you standing there for ten minutes waving a fiver and serves the stunning blonde stood next to you is a little more than irritating, this is where we must exert control. After all, we know deep down that even though he served her first, he has no chance!!
