“70% of crimes are caused by excess alcohol in Quintana Roo”
Novedades Quintana Roo reports:
“According to data from the Prosecutor’s Office, 70 percent of people who are serving a sentence commit crimes under the influence of alcohol. He added that in these figures, the number of women who are falling in jail for this issue grew. He acknowledged that the number of women who consume alcohol grew by 45 percent in the northern part of the state.”
Assessment
Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico.
This new data from Quintana Roo about the role of alcohol in crime adds to a growing body of evidence showing the social toll of alcohol in Mexico.
With 70% of those serving prison sentences reportedly committing crimes under the influence of alcohol – and a sharp increase in alcohol use among women – the burden is clearly growing, especially in communities already grappling with violence and inequality.
The growing number of women affected points to the consequences of alcohol industry marketing strategies that increasingly target them.
In 2021, a Canadian study showed that 42% of all violent and non-violent crime would not have occurred if the perpetrator had not been under the influence of, or seeking, alcohol or other substances. Between 2006 and 2016, 20% of violent crimes and 7% of non-violent crimes in Canada were considered attributable to alcohol. In contrast, all other psychoactive substance categories combined were linked with 26% of all violent crime and 25% of non-violent crime during the same time-frame.
Evidence from other countries confirms the link between alcohol and crime, too, but the magnitude of the problem in Quintana Roo is massive.
And a UK study from 2021 further highlights the grave situation in Mexico: Violent crime was higher in areas with increased deprivation and alcohol availability.
Quintana Roo is facing an explosive mix of these factors, too.
This shows how alcohol harm is a public health but also public safety and criminal justice issue. On the flip side: alcohol policy solutions are violence reduction, crime prevention and safety enhancement measures. These benefits of reducing alcohol availability, affordability, and banning alcohol advertising are compelling arguments for policy action to benefit multiple government priorities.
Alcohol policy advocates have an opportunity to expand partnerships, draw attention to the multiple benefits of alcohol policy action at national and local levels, and to inform the public discourse regarding escalating harm and the potential of alcohol policy to protect people and communities.