The literature that did provide some very useful
information came primarily through the work of an individual who featured
prominently in the 1980s regarding drug, and in particular heroin, misuse.
Howard Parker’s ‘Living with heroin’ (1988) charted the impact of a heroin
epidemic on a community in the north-west of
On a more theoretical note ‘Heroin, Deviance and
Morality’ (1980) by Lidz and Walker took a more hypothetical approach to
explaining a heroin crisis, incorporating various ideologies, schemas and
relationships into the argument. Supporting literature came in the form of
Hartnoll’s ‘Drug Problems: Assessing Local Needs (1985) and ‘Introductory
Sociology’ (1996) by Bilton etal. The latter text was particularly important in
helping the researcher to gain a basic knowledge of the work of Howard Becker
and the labeling perspective.
The Internet proved to be a very useful tool also in
gaining literature on heroin use, particularly BBC Online and the numerous drug
agencies that one discovered through the use of a search engine (see references
section).
The theory that underpins this dissertation is Howard
Becker’s ‘Moral Crisis Production’ concept, which essentially stated that a
number of criteria had to be fulfilled for a moral crisis to exist. This consequently
lead to the formation of this study, which questioned the relevance of Becker's
theory when applied to a modern day crime epidemic, which in this case was
heroin.
In terms of choosing the right methods of
investigation for this study one had to look at the various advantages and
disadvantages of both positivist and interpretevist methodology, which
individually were both one-eyed approaches. Both types of research technique
have shaped the theory and practice of criminological research, yet today opposition
between the two sides seems to be diminishing, giving way to a more ‘reflexive
and pluralistic approach.’ (Bilton etal 1996). Giddens structuration theory
embraces this view in that it links structure and agency as ‘simultaneous
dimensions’ of social life. He believes that structures cannot be created
independently of actions, while actions can never take place except within
structural circumstances.
The implications of this argument is that the most
effective way to research this area is through employing a multi-method
approach, drawing knowledge from both the interpretevist and positivist fields
of investigation. This would not suite the assumptions of neither Becker nor
Durkheim, but it would work on the principle that the negative effects caused
by one type of methodological technique could be countered by the advantages of
another. The notion that underpins this type of methodological approach is that
the actions of the drug user and government agencies cannot take place other
than within the structural circumstances of society, and consequently the
structure/agency debate ceases to be relevant as both can co-exists at the same
time.
The main body of research aimed at complimenting the
application of Becker’s model took the form of interviews conducted within a
qualitative framework. The interviews were carried out with the intention of
discovering the views and beliefs of both government agency representatives and
the heroin users themselves, in terms of the existence of a moral panic and the
extent of the real problem. The
interviews were informal, and took place in an environment chosen by the
interviewee, hence at the respected government agencies and the homes of the
heroin users respectively. The interviews were all tape recorded, and later
transcribed, and followed a general outline of a prepared schedule of areas
that needed to be covered. Flexibility was the key initiative adopted for all
interviews, with the intention of creating a ‘relaxed atmosphere where the
interviewee could speak freely.’ (Dunsmuir & Williams, 1990)
Participant observation was also used in an aim to get
myself, the researcher, into a position of understanding the extent of the
heroin problem in the town. Having already known people who were taking heroin,
access into the heroin culture proved to be fairly straightforward. One was
also fortunate enough to know someone who was a ‘runner,’ a street dealer, and
as a result was invited to spend a few days with him. This offered the perfect
opportunity to perceive the number of users who relied on this one runner.
Ethical considerations were vital to the validity of this technique, as people
were not informed that research was being carried out. However as one only came
into contact with these heroin users for a matter of minutes one felt that informing
them was not essential, they were not being deceived as such, my presence
neither harmed nor endangered them.
However this study is not based solely on qualitative
research, it was felt that in order to gain a more accurate picture of the
reality of the heroin problem, some quantitative techniques were needed. This primarily took the form of a small scale
questionnaire constructed for three mainstream schools in the town, with the
sole aim of establishing the proportion of 14-16 year olds that had been
offered heroin, and taken it, in the past year. 222 children from the three
schools completed the questionnaire, and the sample was based on random selection.
The proportions needed to be quantified so that a fairly accurate number could
be gained, and so a closed questionnaire was constructed. The application of
this technique would also give some indication as to whether heroin had reached
its saturation level within the town, that is had its availability been exposed
to the youth element of society.
Content analysis of the local paper also played a key
role in establishing the extent of the heroin problem in the town. Over a
period of 7 years (1994-2000) the paper was checked for the number of heroin
related articles that appeared in it each year. This ‘pragmatical’ approach was
according to Jannis (1965) ‘counting the number of times something is said
which is likely to have the effect of producing attitudes towards a given
audience’ (Krippendorff 1980). So although this technique had the empirical aim
of gaining an insight into the ‘real rates’ of the heroin rise, the rise in
articles may have played a part in shaping the beliefs and attitudes of its
audience, the XXXXXX public.
The final type of research technique employed was the
analysis of some statistical data, made available largely through the police;
drug arrests/prosecutions etc… Of course the ‘unreliability of statistics
(selective policing/offenders not caught) had to be taken into account,’
(Langley, 1987) but it would still prove to be a useful addition to building up
an overall picture of the problem.
The intention of adopting a multi-method approach is
that two types of research, qualitative and quantitative, can be carried out
and used simultaneously. The idea was generated through the reading of various
studies that had found it an advantage to use this approach, most notably
Dobash & Dobash (1979) and Barker (1984), who stated that….
“It was obvious that no one
method would be sufficient to obtain all
the information that I would
need.” (Pp. 17)
In each case a variety of methods were used with a
great deal of success, and so one felt that this piece of research would be
suited in adopting this approach, particularly when aiming to assess the extent
of a heroin epidemic (better suited to quantitative methodology) and assessing
the existence of a moral panic (created within a qualitative capacity).
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