New Methods and Methodologies of Scientific Research Aimed at Preventing Drug-Related Crime in Modern Criminology
Annotation / Abstract
Abstract. This article analyzes new methods and techniques used in scientific research on drug crimes within modern criminology. It establishes that traditional approaches are becoming insufficient in the context of the growing complexity of drug crimes in both substance and form, particularly with the intensification of their transnational, latent, and digital manifestations. In this regard, the article reveals the scientific significance of interdisciplinary, evidence-based, digital-analytical, and prognostic approaches. It also puts forward scientific conclusions and proposals to increase the effectiveness of research on the prevention of drug crimes.
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In modern criminology, the study of crimes related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is becoming increasingly complex.
This complexity is primarily explained by the organizational forms of drug crimes, their covert mechanisms, transnational connections, reliance on digital communications, and the expansion of their social base. Whereas in the past, drug crimes were more associated with traditional methods of trade and clandestine distribution, at the present stage, they are taking on a more sophisticated nature.
Of course, the role of classical methods in the study of drug-related crimes cannot be denied. Methods such as statistical analysis, legal characterization, the study of criminal case materials, surveys, and interviews still retain their importance [4]. However, in modern conditions, these methods often only record the external signs of drug crimes and are incapable of fully revealing their internal network-like structures, hidden connections, socio-psychological determinants, and territorial dynamics.
For example, simple statistical data may show an increase in the number of drug-related crimes in a certain region, but it does not provide a complete picture of why such an increase is being observed in that specific area, which social groups are at risk, what communication channels are being used for illicit trafficking, or what new forms this process is taking.
Therefore, to study modern drug-related crimes, it is necessary not only to describe them but also to conduct in-depth analysis, develop scientific models, assess risks, and foresee potential changes.
It is precisely at this point that an interdisciplinary approach emerges as one of the most significant methodological advantages of modern criminology. Drug-related crimes are simultaneously legal, social, psychological, economic, medical, and information-communication phenomena. Therefore, their complete study is not possible within the framework of a single discipline [5].
While jurisprudence explains the legal nature of crime and accountability mechanisms, sociology reveals the connection between drug crimes and the social environment. Psychology analyzes drug addiction, motivation, and deviant behavior; pedagogy studies risk factors among minors and youth; economics explains the illicit market and the chain of interests; and information technology helps to identify hidden networks in the digital environment. Such a comprehensive approach makes it possible to understand drug crimes not superficially, but in conjunction with their real mechanisms.
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Authors
O'zbekiston Respublikasi Kriminologiya tadqiqot instituti
Oʻzbekiston Respublikasi IIV Jamoat xavfizligi departamenti