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Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes"

Received: 7 March 2021     Accepted: 29 April 2021     Published: 8 May 2021
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Abstract

At the end of a post-electoral crisis in 2011, urban delinquency in Ivory Coast is undergoing a deep change. Young adults and teenagers attack the population according to a triptych that signs a particular modus operandi. An interpretation of this criminality, which is foreign to the taxonomy of delinquency, attempts to situate the place of toxic substances in the criminal actions of those whom the population calls "microbes". This was a cross-cutting study lasting three (03) months. Based on the exhaustive sampling technique, 123 subjects out of 583 young people in conflict with the law enrolled in a resocialisation and reintegration project in 2020, were selected. The respondents were all male, aged 10-25 years old and all out of school. They were all polydrug users, with prevalences of 98.37% for cannabis and 95.12% and 91.87% respectively for psychotropic drugs diverted from their therapeutic use and alcohol. Their criminal trajectory revealed offences of theft in meetings (100%) and assault and battery (84.55%), 15.45% of which led to death. Ritualisation was noted in the preparation of the assaults and in their execution; the first stage being conditioning by the consumption of a "psychoactive cocktail", the second: acting in a gang, and finally the third stage: execution of a scene of murderous violence with knives and unusual weapons 97.28% (machete, axe and human bones). Criminal intentionality presides over the act in the case of "microbes". Drug use only serves to convey a feeling of omnipotence and an increase in cortical excitement. It thus responds to a ritualisation imbued with symbolic signifiers and constitutes a preparatory conditioning for planned predatory violence. The traditional tandem drug and crime should not be the only explanatory approach to all criminal violence among drug users.

Published in American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14
Page(s) 44-49
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Juvenile Delinquency, Drugs, Microbes, Predatory Violence, Ivory Coast

References
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    Konan Koffi Paulin, Traore Brahim Samuel, Kouassi Ettien Silvie, Aka Rita Ahou, Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-marie. (2021). Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes". American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 9(2), 44-49. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14

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    ACS Style

    Konan Koffi Paulin; Traore Brahim Samuel; Kouassi Ettien Silvie; Aka Rita Ahou; Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-marie. Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes". Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021, 9(2), 44-49. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14

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    AMA Style

    Konan Koffi Paulin, Traore Brahim Samuel, Kouassi Ettien Silvie, Aka Rita Ahou, Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-marie. Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes". Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021;9(2):44-49. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14,
      author = {Konan Koffi Paulin and Traore Brahim Samuel and Kouassi Ettien Silvie and Aka Rita Ahou and Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-marie},
      title = {Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes"},
      journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
      volume = {9},
      number = {2},
      pages = {44-49},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210902.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20210902.14},
      abstract = {At the end of a post-electoral crisis in 2011, urban delinquency in Ivory Coast is undergoing a deep change. Young adults and teenagers attack the population according to a triptych that signs a particular modus operandi. An interpretation of this criminality, which is foreign to the taxonomy of delinquency, attempts to situate the place of toxic substances in the criminal actions of those whom the population calls "microbes". This was a cross-cutting study lasting three (03) months. Based on the exhaustive sampling technique, 123 subjects out of 583 young people in conflict with the law enrolled in a resocialisation and reintegration project in 2020, were selected. The respondents were all male, aged 10-25 years old and all out of school. They were all polydrug users, with prevalences of 98.37% for cannabis and 95.12% and 91.87% respectively for psychotropic drugs diverted from their therapeutic use and alcohol. Their criminal trajectory revealed offences of theft in meetings (100%) and assault and battery (84.55%), 15.45% of which led to death. Ritualisation was noted in the preparation of the assaults and in their execution; the first stage being conditioning by the consumption of a "psychoactive cocktail", the second: acting in a gang, and finally the third stage: execution of a scene of murderous violence with knives and unusual weapons 97.28% (machete, axe and human bones). Criminal intentionality presides over the act in the case of "microbes". Drug use only serves to convey a feeling of omnipotence and an increase in cortical excitement. It thus responds to a ritualisation imbued with symbolic signifiers and constitutes a preparatory conditioning for planned predatory violence. The traditional tandem drug and crime should not be the only explanatory approach to all criminal violence among drug users.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    T1  - Toxic Substances Use and Juvenile Violence in Ivory Coast: The Case of Young Adults and Adolescents in Conflict with the Law, Known as "Microbes"
    AU  - Konan Koffi Paulin
    AU  - Traore Brahim Samuel
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    JF  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
    JO  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    AB  - At the end of a post-electoral crisis in 2011, urban delinquency in Ivory Coast is undergoing a deep change. Young adults and teenagers attack the population according to a triptych that signs a particular modus operandi. An interpretation of this criminality, which is foreign to the taxonomy of delinquency, attempts to situate the place of toxic substances in the criminal actions of those whom the population calls "microbes". This was a cross-cutting study lasting three (03) months. Based on the exhaustive sampling technique, 123 subjects out of 583 young people in conflict with the law enrolled in a resocialisation and reintegration project in 2020, were selected. The respondents were all male, aged 10-25 years old and all out of school. They were all polydrug users, with prevalences of 98.37% for cannabis and 95.12% and 91.87% respectively for psychotropic drugs diverted from their therapeutic use and alcohol. Their criminal trajectory revealed offences of theft in meetings (100%) and assault and battery (84.55%), 15.45% of which led to death. Ritualisation was noted in the preparation of the assaults and in their execution; the first stage being conditioning by the consumption of a "psychoactive cocktail", the second: acting in a gang, and finally the third stage: execution of a scene of murderous violence with knives and unusual weapons 97.28% (machete, axe and human bones). Criminal intentionality presides over the act in the case of "microbes". Drug use only serves to convey a feeling of omnipotence and an increase in cortical excitement. It thus responds to a ritualisation imbued with symbolic signifiers and constitutes a preparatory conditioning for planned predatory violence. The traditional tandem drug and crime should not be the only explanatory approach to all criminal violence among drug users.
    VL  - 9
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Author Information
  • Addiction and Mental Hygiene Service, National Institute of Public Health, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Medical Sciences Training and Research Unit, Félix Houphou?t Boigny University, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Center Marguerite Te Bonle, National Institute of Public Health, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Medical Sciences Training and Research Unit, Félix Houphou?t Boigny University, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Medical Sciences Training and Research Unit, Félix Houphou?t Boigny University, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

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