Sommers, Ira

Ira Sommers received his doctorate in social work in 1983 from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a NIMH post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Massachusetts –Amherst, Department of Sociology. Currently, Dr. Sommers is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at California State University, Los Angeles. Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Sommers has conducted and published research on a wide range of topics, including female offending, substance abuse and violence, forensic mental health, and domestic violence.

Social Consequences of Methamphetamine Use

2004 0-7734-6569-3
Analyzes the pharmacological effects, situational contexts and processual dynamics of methamphetamine use, distribution, and violence, using interviews. Evidence supports previous research that suggests continuity from youth aggression to adult violence. Findings indicate that long-term influences – family, psychological/personality, and peer factors lead to the development of fairly stable, slowly changing differences between individuals in their potential for violence.