Alcohol Outlets Relation Violence

The location of alcohol outlets is frequently linked to the prevalence of violence. Interpersonal violence seems to be on the rise in and around the vicinity of alcohol-serving establishments, mainly bars and liquor store. There are several potential mechanism explanations for the observations of the high rate of violent crimes in and near alcohol selling establishments. The first explanation is that bars and Liquor stores frequently attract people who are likely to consume alcohol and be a part of violent interactions, such as young men (Lipton et al., 2013).

The behaviors are supported by the alcohol availability theory, which states that as alcohol consumption increases, it leads to a rise in alcohol-related problems, including a high risk of violence. This aspect is because the more alcohol people consume, the more they lose control of their behaviors (Lipton et al., 2013).
Another explanation is that retail alcohol outlets are frequently found in areas with less guardianship than others, in line with social disorganization theory (Lipton et al., 2013).
According to social disorganization theory, family preservation programs should be necessary for reducing criminal behaviors because they support good behaviors and discourage criminal behaviors. Besides, the family’s ability to resist the negative effects of social disorganization on their children and the fact that strong families may work together to avoid public disorientation in their communities.
Lastly, alcohol outlets such as bars and liquor stores offer opportunities for social interactions that could result in aggression and violence (Lipton et al., 2013). Alcohol-serving establishments can encourage more aggressive outbursts that lead to violence as people drink more and lose their ability to control emotions and behaviors. The authors investigated the relationship between bars and clubs and violent crime using a cross-sectional survey between violent crime and types of alcohol outlets in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2006 (Lipton et al., 2013). The authors found that alcohol outlets are potentially dangerous places as both generators of violent behavior and indicators or attractors of violence (Lipton et al., 2013).
Regardless of the type of alcohol outlet, there is a direct relationship between alcohol use and criminal behavior because the outlets, such as bars and liquor stores frequently attract people who are likely to consume alcohol and be a part of violent interactions (Lipton et al., 2013). They also offer opportunities for social interactions that could result in aggression and violence. A clear correlation between illicit drugs and alcohol abuse creates the need to integrate drug abuse treatment for inmates to solve crimes. Currently, other forms of punishment, such as imprisonment, are ineffective in addressing the problem of crime because they do not address the root cause of crime which is drug abuse.