Hostility, crime and drug dependence.

In a study of male addicts attending a London drug dependence unit, it was found that convicted addicts tended to score more highly on measures of hostility than non-convicted subjects. The differences in hostility between the convicted and non-convicted groups were most clearly seen on the violent crimes variable, although addicts convicted of drug-possession and of non-drug crimes were also more hostile than non-convicted subjects. It is suggested that hostility acts as a personality factor which predisposes the individual towards criminal behaviour, and that the more hostile subjects may also be more likely to be apprehended and convicted.