Methylphenidate and Crime Reduction

Birger Antholz ()
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Birger Antholz: University of Hamburg

International Journal of Social Sciences, 2019, vol. 8, issue 2, 33-55

Abstract: In a school survey, 37 out of 1066 pupils say they had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. ADHD students who are not treated with methylphenidate show an offender rate of 68%. When treated with methylphenidate it is 33%, only half as high. Methylphenidate treatment halves the crime rate. That Methylphenidate is an effective anti-crime tool is confirmed by a Swedish study with adults (deviance reduction through methylphenidate, 32% for men and 41% for women). A crime decline in the bright and dark field is recognized in Germany as being worldwide since 1993, while at the same time the prescription of methylphenidate has increased nationally and internationally. From the micro-/ individual relation of the school survey and the macro-connection, i.e. the coincidence of crime reduction and methylphenidate increase, causality is derived. Methylphenidate is an important explanation for the decline in crime in the last 25 years.

Keywords: Ritalin; methylphenidate; crime drop; orbitofrontal cortex; ADHD; deviance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I14 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sek:jijoss:v:8:y:2019:i:2:p:33-55

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