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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Teichgraeber, Susan J., June 1977 - THE USE OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE TASK FORCE ON THE CHRONIC PUBLIC INEBRIATE
Abstract: This thesis describes research which was undertaken in order better to understand the skid row subculture in Tampa Florida, and the ways in which it has been affected by the Myers Act legislation. The research was done by a Task Force on the Chronic Public Inebriate; independent research was conducted by the author at the Tampa Police Department, since the police still interact frequently with the chronic public inebriate. The literature pertinent to the skid row problem reveals that although the skid row man has been stereotyped as an alcoholic, most skid row men are not problem drinkers, and they are not on skid row because of their drinking. They are men who have not become an integral part of society at large, and skid row offers them an alternative life style. Skid row men are, however, frequently arrested for drunkenness, and the revolving door of the court is a rite de passage into skid row. The Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act, on which Florida's Myers Act is based, replaced the criminal justice system approach to alcoholism with a treatment approach. Under the Uniform Act, public drunkenness is decriminalized and treatment services are provided. A nationwide impact study revealed that a major problem stems from the Act's emphasis on voluntariness. Detoxification centers have become revolving doors, and the public inebriate is more frequently visible on the streets. No significant number of public inebriates have been moved into long-term treatment. Under the Myers Act, alcoholism services are provided through the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. These services include detoxification treatment, which in Tampa is provided by the Hillsborough Primary Care Center. The police must still respond to the public inebriate and take him home, to the H.P.C.C., or take him into protective custody. The Task Force on the Chronic Public Inebriate studied the local chronic public inebriates ethnographically and attempted to identify ways that the community can respond more constructively to them. The Task Force learned that the H.P.C.C. has a revolving door problem, but that public inebriates are also frequently arrested on drunkenness-related charges. The plasmapheresis center does not appear to be supporting the public inebriates to any great extent; they receive funds more often from government benefits or labor pool employment. The Task Force recommended public education about alcoholism and skid row, a city planning component to study the impact of urban renewal on all area residents, anti-skid row ordinances, and better coordination among treatment agencies. Research among the Tampa police revealed an essentially negative attitude toward the Myers Act, since detoxification treatment costs more than jail and has had little success in leading public inebriates into long-term treatment. The Myers Act has not significantly eased the police work load. Also public inebriates are more frequently crime victims, since they are often on the street in a drunken state. The police believe long-term, involuntary treatment would provide real help to the public inebriate. Recommendations could be made to improve the present system: provisions for long-term involuntary commitment to treatment; better communication between the police and treatment system a treatment-system operated emergency vehicle to respond to public inebriates. However, the major recommendation is for cross-cultural studies of public drunkenness and skid row to isolate cultural factors which contribute to the emergence of organized skid rows. An ethical question is also raised: Does society have the right to mandate treatment for skid rowers who have no wish to be rehabilitated?
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