The Geography of Drug Market Activities and Child Maltreatment

PWP-CCPR-2010-016

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study is to begin to understand how the drug market activities place children at risk for being abused or neglect by examining both the temporal and spatial patterns of drug market activities over time. Methods. Data were collected for 95 Census tracts in Sacramento, California over seven years (n = 665). The study examined the relationship between child maltreatment (as measured by referrals, substantiations, and foster care entries) and drug possessions and drug sales. Data were analyzed using Bayesian space-time models. Results. Referrals for child maltreatment investigations were less likely to occur in places where current drug market activity (as measured by drug possessions and drug sales) were present. However, drug sales and past year local and spatially lagged drugs sales were positively related to referrals. After the investigative phase (i.e., referrals) Census tracts with more drug possessions and drug sales had higher numbers of substantiations and those tracts with more possessions also had more entries into foster care.

Conclusions. The temporal delay between drug sales and child maltreatment referrals may: (1) indicate that the surveillance systems designed to protect children may not be very responsive to changing neighborhood conditions or (2) be indicative of the time it takes for drug sales to reach their users and for the detrimental effects of the drug use to appear. Drug activity is likely factored into the overall risk to children by child welfare caseworkers as evidenced by significantly higher substantiations and foster care entries in these areas.