Alcohol may cause increased crime

By STEPHANIE BOWMAN
Collegian Staff Writer

Joe Sayegh has seen what alcohol can do to people.

Sayegh has hosted parties and he said it seems that people are more apt to commit crimes when intoxicated.

"I know that through firsthand," Sayegh (junior-administration of justice) said. "I had non-alcoholic parties and had nothing stolen, and I had parties with alcohol and had stuff stolen."

Sayegh is not alone.

Although the number of alcohol-related crimes in the area is down this year, about 80 to 90 percent of the crimes committed are while people are under the influence, said Donald Suit, director of judicial affairs. Alcohol has been involved in many crimes, including everything from rape to theft, he added.

"If you're here for four years, your percentage of getting involved in an alcohol-related crime are high -- about 55 to 60 percent," Suit said.

But Suit said that percentage could be anything, including minor theft.

Alcohol-related crimes are a big problem at the University, said Lt. Carmine Prestia of the State College Police Department. Because alcohol lowers inhibitions, he said, people are more apt to commit crimes.

And some University students agree that crime ensues from alcohol consumption.

"I think people are more apt to commit crime, simply because of the fact that they are drinking," said Richard Lines (freshman-prelaw). "And also because their friends are there and because a party makes you more excitable."

When those people are more excited, many different types of crimes may result.

Jen Lawer (freshman-human development and family studies) said she and some friends were walking to a party when they witnessed an alcohol-related crime.

"(We were walking) through the parking lot to get to the party, and I (saw) two drunk guys breaking car windows with beer bottles," she said.

Delmar Woodring, University Police Services supervisor, said vandalism is not the only prevalent alcohol-related crime. He said students may be influenced to steal or harass people while under the influence of alcohol. He added that liquor law violations are the most prevalent crimes on campus.

Alcohol is also frequently related to incidents including endangerment and relationship abuse, Suit said.

But there are ways to further reduce the crime rate.

Woodring said students should have a personal commitment to abstain from alcohol in the college atmosphere.

Woodring also suggested proactive programs, including the Driving Under the Influence program. The DUI program is usually used among big groups where they can plant someone in the audience as an example.

The program gathers a group of students of legal drinking age and the students drink until they obtain a blood alcohol content of .10 --the point of legal intoxication, Woodring said. The police perform sobriety tests on them, including a walking line test, an eye test and Breathalyzer.

Residence life is also doing something about the problem. Dane Foust, acting associate director of residence life, said resident assistants monitor students' attitudes toward drinking by administering surveys.

According to those surveys, only 5 percent of the students living in the dorms indicated that alcohol is a problem in their halls.

"There are certainly problems," Foust said, "but it's not any different than downtown."