Lost Opportunity to Combat AIDS: Drug Abusers in the Criminal Justice System

• NCJ Number: 113980
• Date Published: 1988
• Author(s): E D Wish; J O'Neil; V Baldau
• Length: 26 pages
• Grant Number(s): 87-IJ-CX-0008
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Information from male and female arrestees in five cities indicated that all persons detained or supervised by the criminal justice system should be considered to be at much greater risk of illicit drug use and AIDS than the general population.

Abstract

The data came from the following Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) System sites of NIJ: Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, New Orleans, and New York City. Between September and December 1987 a total of 516 females and 991 males were interviewed and had their urine tested. More than half tested positive for illicit drugs. Females, predominantly white females, were more likely than males to report having injected drugs. From one-fourth to one-half of the subjects reported needle sharing. By failing to focus enough resources on addressing the drug abuse and AIDS problem in arrestees and probationers, the nation is losing an important opportunity to reach the largest pool of serious drug abusers entering the criminal justice system. Additional recommendations, tables, figures, and 20 references.