The concept of two types of drug dealers: a hypothetical aspect of a criminological study

The article demonstrates the practical and scientific-theoretical value of criminological foundations for studying the personality of a drug offender. The scientific interest in identifying criminologically significant factors of involving citizens in illegal drug trafficking is outlined. It is indicated that these factors ensure the construction of conceptual and criminological foundations for the typology of persons engaged in drug distribution. The first factor is the relative social marginalization and (or) property disadvantage of citizens who are inclined to participate in the network distribution of drugs. The second factor is the importance of life-cycle criminology in shaping the real correlation between criminal behavior and turnaround changes in the life cycle of a drug dealer, which must be taken into account in the typological study of the personality of a «kladman». The third factor is the substantiation of two types of «drug stashers» – representatives of the «street subculture» and adherents of «the counterculture of a golden youth». Due to these factors, three theses have been formulated that are significant for the taxonomic understanding of the personality of a drug dealer based on conceptual criminological positions, the implementation of selective individual and special criminological prevention of illegal drug trafficking. It is concluded that the identification of two types of «kladmen» shows the presence of different trends in psychosocial problems among individuals belonging to the corresponding type, special mechanisms for their involvement in drug trafficking, the specifics of the involvement of these individuals in the process of obtaining criminal income from drug trafficking, as well as the heterogeneous degree of their social danger and criminal activity.