Criminal Behavior and Alcohol Consumption: An Australian Perspective

This report investigates the significant impact of alcohol consumption on criminal behavior in Australia, examining various legal issues and societal harms. The introduction highlights alcohol's role in social and legal contexts, noting the high rates of alcohol consumption, particularly among young people. The report focuses on the criminal behavior aspect, detailing the interconnected relationship between alcohol and crime. It categorizes alcohol-related crimes, including assault, sexual assault, domestic violence, and homicides, providing statistical data and illustrating the severity of each issue. The report further analyzes current alcohol-related policies in Australia, such as drink driving laws and the legal drinking age, and proposes policy changes to mitigate harm. These changes include higher taxes on alcohol, stricter penalties for drink driving, a national data system for offenders, and measures to address secondary supply and workplace alcohol consumption. The conclusion emphasizes the negative effects of alcohol consumption and suggests policy changes to improve the current state of criminal and irregular behavior arising out of alcohol use.

HEALTHCARE

Introduction
Alcohol is one of the issues that have greater impact on the social and legal aspects. In many
areas around the world, consumption of alcohol is considered as a social activity as people
drink to enjoy different life events (Carpenter and Dobkin, 2010). Different cultures have
different beliefs, attitude, norms and expectation regarding alcohol consumption and this
drinking habit is reflected in the behaviours of people who consume alcohol (Horyniak et.al,
2016). In Australia, 63% of population drink alcohol and out of that most of drinkers are
young people and out of that 16% are heavy drinkers (Manning, Smith and Mazerolle, 2013).
Excessive consumption of alcohol by Australian people leads to various social and legal
issues such as increasing crime in the country, poor productivity, and unemployment,
financial issues, higher alcohol related offences like sexual assault, offensive behaviour and
drink drinking. This report includes the discussion on the legal issue of criminal activities in
Australia due to excessive consumption of alcohol and policy changes that can be done in the
country in order to reduce the harm of alcohol consumption. Thus, the following report is
concentrated on the discussion of the single social harm of the criminal activities.
Criminal Behavior
The legal issue that has been chosen for the discussion to study the impact of alcohol is the
criminal behaviour. Alcohol and crime have a close interconnected relationship and the
former influences the occurrence of the latter in terms of the actions, the level of aggression
and the response time (Addiction Center, 2020). Alcohol contributes to criminal behaviour of
an individual as excessive drinking affects the mental state of an individual and due to that an
individual is not able to control his or her actions and reactions to a situation (Foster et.al,
2017). This might resultant into some criminal behaviour by an individual such as robbery,
murder, sexual assault and hindering police. The criminal activities can be categorised as
follows that arise from the irregular consumption of alcohol.
a) Assault: It must be noted that the crime that is most associated with the alcohol
consumption is that of the assault, as the former leads to the enhancement in the
irritability and anger levels (Byrnes, Doran and Shakeshaft, 2012). In the year 2017,
70,000 people in Australia were victims of alcohol assault and 24,000 were victims of
domestic violence because of alcohols. The fact that the 65 percent of the serious
assaults were alcohol related in the year 2010 highlight the grievance of the situation
(SA Health, 2012). Sexual assaults or the non-consensual sexual acts are also the key

outcomes of the alcohol consumption in an irregular manner (Rowe et. al, 2010). The
alcohol is not only consumed by the perpetrators of the crime but also used on the
victims to lower the inhibitions and incapacitate them.
b) Intimate Partner Violence or Domestic Violence: The next popular set of the
criminal activities is that of the violent activities with the family members or the
partners as the victims. There is a close correlation of the frequency, timing of the
abuse and the severity, and the close relationships of the abuser (Doran et. al, 2010).
The alcohol abuse also included the child abuse, in the form of isolating and
neglecting the child by the parents (Dingwall, 2013). In a recent study conducted, it
was observed that the out of the total abuse cases in Victoria, 27 percent belong to
physical , 39 percent were the emotional abuse cases, 12 percent of the sexual abuses
and 35 percent of the neglect cases (Laslett, 2013). It must be additionally noted that
most of the crimes that were reported by victim in 2017 In Australia were related to
alcohol, which shows that because of excessive consumption of alcohol in Australia
domestic violence has increased over the years along with the sexual crimes and legal
issues that follow.
c) Homicides: Apart from the above stated, the research have suggested that the
consumption of the alcohol leads to the increase in the number of homicides in the
country. It is a serious crime that not only evokes political concerns but also leads to
wide public fear (Payne and Gaffney, 2012). Further, the homicides under the
influence of the alcohol differ considerably than the homicides without the alcohol.
As per the research though the per capita rate of homicide has been on a decreasing
trend in the previous two decades, yet consuming of alcohol plays a key role in some
or the other way in the occurrences of homicide incidents (Tomsen and Payne, 2016).
Apart from the above stated, the crimes that are not that serious yet have an involvement
of the alcohol in some way are that of the robbery, breaking and entering, burglary,
accidents and others (Petrie, et. al, 2010). Individuals who are engaged in the above
mentioned criminal activities yet again indulge in the consumption of alcohol as a coping
mechanism, escaping the post-traumatic stress disorder, and to handle the low self-
esteem. Thus, it has been understood from the glimpses of the study conducted above that
the use of the alcohol has enhanced the legal issue of crime in one or the other way.
Moreover, these issues and activities also contribute to the cost of policing services and
cost of welfare (Ridout, Campbell and Ellis, 2012).

Policy Change
As stated in the previous segments, there are numerous social and legal harms caused by the
alcohol use in the context of Australia, and the consequences are mainly on the lines of the
enhancement of the criminal behaviour at workplace and in the society. The study showed
central role of alcohol in various types of crimes in one way or the other. The following
segment would highlight the policy changes that can improve the current state of the criminal
and other irregular behaviour arising out of the alcohol use.
It is first important to look at the existing policy and the laws in relation to the alcohol use at
Australia in different states. It is important to note that some of the common policies that are
prevalent in various states are related to the drink driving, legal drinking age, selling alcohol,
labelling, and the places allowed for the consumption of the alcohol (Cunneen, and White,
2011). While the legal drinking age is 18 years, it has been stated that it is unlawful to
consume alcohol if the individuals are less than the drinking age (Australian Government,
2020). Further, it is compulsory to label the quantity of the standard drinks on the packages
and there has been prescribed a limit for the blood alcohol concentration levels. It is vital to
note that there have been prescribed different places allowed for the consumption of alcohol
in different states.
One of the key policy that needs to be highlighted and is a matter of concern in Australian
context is that of the secondary supply. Secondary supply refers to the act of supplying the
alcohol to the individuals who are below the minimum drinking age, if there is an approval
from the parents or the guardians of the said individual. It is significant to note that in
context of Australia, it is not unlawful to consume the alcohol if you are under the age of the
eighteen years, if the said consumption is in the private property, which means in the
guidance of the parents or the guardians (Pereira et. al, 2013). In spite of the said policy, there
emerge numerous cases of the rash driving or the criminal acts like violence or sexual assault
after the consumption of alcohol at home. Thus, it has been proposed to impose higher taxes
on the consumption of the alcohol for the domestic purposes or at the home and the private
properties, so that the parents and the guardians of the children are even more stringent as
well as careful while allowing the consumption of the alcohol at the home to the minors. The

increased tax rate would be reflected in the increases cost of the alcohol that is aimed to be
consumed at home.
In addition, thought there is a common law regarding the minimum acceptable blood alcohol
concentration while driving, the said has not been taken much seriously by the citizens of the
country. This is because at the first stage of being caught while drink driving, the license of
the said individuals is caught by the police with a penalty imposition. However, that does not
stops an individual to consume alcohol in the future. The most recent case in Australia is a
classic proof for the same. In a recent instance, it has been reported that a 59 year old male
was reported to be caught almost seven times for the crimes namely drink driving, driving
without the due care, other traffic offences like collision and leaving the scene of the crime
(News Pty Limited, 2020). It has also been reported that he has lost his licence a year ago.
Thus, the fact that has he was caught by the traffic police several times and must have been
imposed the penalty time and again did not deter him from the consumption of the alcohol
carelessly. It has been proposed to the regulators to ban the driving licences of the individuals
from driving the vehicles, if they are caught in the case of the drink driving beyond three
times. In addition, it has been proposed to the government to centrally store the data of the
individuals caught in drink driving cases so as to recognise them even beyond the one state.
Apart from the other measures, it has been proposed to implement a policy where the
guardians or the parents are heavily penalised in the cases of the minor involved in the
criminal activities after consuming alcohol. This would ensure that higher degree of care is
taken for the consumption of alcohol among the minors. In addition, it has been proposed to
implement a national policy to ban the use of the alcohol at the workplace completely and
heavy penalties and the disciplinary procedures against the same must be prescribed. This is
to ensure that the productivity is not hampered and the workplaces are free from the criminal
instances.
Conclusion
The discussions conducted in the previous parts aid to conclude that the consumption of
alcohol have numerous other negative effects too, apart from the health harm as in generally
perceived. The work highlighted the varied range of societal and legal harms that are caused
by the consumption of the alcohol. The major harms studied is the increased crimes, in the
form of the assaults, homicides, domestic violence and others. In addition, the latter part of
the work has shed light on the existing policies in Australia and the changes or the

improvements or some new introductions in the same. It has been suggested to impose the
higher rates of taxes on the secondary alcohol consumption of the minors. In addition, a
policy has been proposed for the blacklisting and the cancelling of the licences of the
individuals who are caught beyond three times in cases of the rash and drink driving.

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