Fighting Back : Neighborhood Antidrug Strategies

Despite strenuous governmental efforts over the past decade, illicit drug use continues to pose a serious challenge to society and, in particular, inner city communities in the United States.

Fighting Back describes the strategies employed by law enforcement agencies and community groups working in partnership to prevent and discourage drug dealing. Offering informed and positive observations, the book includes: a detailed discussion of both theoretical and programmatic issues; the latest empirical research incorporating newly published investigations; and case studies.

Robert C. Davis and Arthur J. Lurigio present a balanced and reasoned review of what citizens, with the help of police and other authorities, can do to reduce drug-related crime in their neighborhoods. The message is timely, clear, helpful, and hopeful. Fighting Back successfully brings together recent and emerging research in community antidrug efforts (indigenous and implanted), police-based strategies, and civil abatement procedures. The authors examine what is and what is not working to mitigate one of America′s most pressing social problems--neighborhood-based drug trafficking. --Janice A. Roehl, Ph.D., Vice President, Institute for Social Analysis, Pacific Grove, California "Fighting Back is a delightful book and will add significantly to the field. It is the first comprehensive book that covers different strategies used to restore order and health to our troubled communities. Because the book covers a number of strategies, it is relevant to many different disciplines. . . . Its breath is refreshing and offers a perspective of hope in a field that is often filled with ′doom and gloom.′ This book is useful to a wide audience to learn about programs that address this problem." --Faye S. Taxman, University of Maryland at College Park Illicit drugs continue to pose a serious challenge to society, particularly inner-city communities. Featuring the latest empirical research, Fighting Back takes a close look at the partnerships law enforcement and grassroots citizen groups are forming to prevent and discourage drug dealing. The authors thoroughly examine police-based, citizen-based, and shared responsibility strategies through case studies, citing never-before published or newly released investigations. Using an eclectic, multidisciplinary approach, Robert C. Davis and Arthur J. Lurigio provide a detailed discussion of both theoretical and programmatic issues critical to this ongoing social problem. With an emphasis on how drug use and related crime and violence affect the well-being and vitality of neighborhoods, this volume offers informed and hopeful observations for effective, cooperative strategies for restoring drug-affected communities. Professionals and students in many different disciplines--including law enforcement, corrections, criminal justice, community psychology, sociology, urban affairs, and public policy--will find Fighting Back a comprehensive resource on the cooperative efforts of citizenry and the law to curtail drug dealing.