PARENTS AND DRUGS REVISITED: SOME FURTHER EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY*

Social control and social learning theories suggest divergent relationships between attachment to parents and children's drug use when level of parent drug use is considered. Social control theory proposes a uniformly negative relationship between children's drug use and attachment to parents whereas social learning theory proposes that the relationship is affected by parental drug use. The relationship between attachment to parents and children's drug use was investigated for each of three groups of low, moderate, and high parental drug use through estimation of a latent variable structural model of attachment to family on children's tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Results indicate that attachment to parents related inversely, but with different magnitudes, to children's drug use for youths whose parents use drugs at low or moderate levels. No significant relationship exists between attachment to family and children's drug use for youths whose parents are relatively high-level users. Neither ethnicity nor sex affected these findings. The implications of these results supporting social learning theory are discussed.     

STITCH AND SEW: THE IMPACT OF MEDICAL RESOURCES UPON CRIMINALLY INDUCED LETHALITY

One theoretical explanation for the consistently high Southern homicide rates is that the South constitutes a "regional culture of violence." Although this perspective has not garnered much empirical support, sound theoretical alternatives have not emerged. The present study attempts to fill this gap by suggesting that emergency medical services are an overlooked intervening influence in the production of homicide and aggravated battery rates. Analysis of data from the 67 counties in Florida provides some support for the notion that the differential distribution of medical resources is partially responsible for variation in criminally induced lethality rates     

THE DILEMMAS OF INNER CITY POLICY

To be successful inner city policy must resolve three dilemmas: what is the nature of the problem? how can it be tackled? why should it command political attention? Cognitively there are four schools of thought – expressed in the metaphors of the city as machine, as community, as market place and battleground. The economic perspective now dominates thinking. Operationally the need, in achieving the inescapable mixed strategies, is to strengthen the capacities of business, government and not-for-profit agencies and to bind them more effectively to joint action that serves their separate interests. Leverage and joint ventures are key concepts here. Politically inner city policy is shaped by concerns with welfare, development and public disorder. Its electoral bias is particularly problematic. Resolution of these dilemmas is most likely through the assertion of development objectives, the demonstration of effective joint action and the exploitation of the unique diversity of urban places and people.     

POPULATION DIVERSITY AND CROSS-NATIONAL HOMICIDE: THE EFFECTS OF INEQUALITY AND HETEROGENEITY*

This study examines the impact of income inequality and ethnic heterogeneity on homicide rates for a sample of 32 nations. The results of the analyses indicate that vertical social direrentiation, as measured by income inequality, and horizontal differentiation, as indexed by ethnic heterogeneity, have signijicant main effects on cross-national homicide. Additionally, evidence is presented suggesting an interaction effect on inequaliry and heterogeneity on homicide. It appears that increased ethnic heterogeneity exacerbates the impact of income inequality on homicide rates.