NCJ Number
227067
Date Published
May 2009
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This report presents 2008 data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program (ADAM II), which uses interviews and testing of biological specimens in order to obtain information on drug use and related issues from adult male booked arrestees in 10 counties across the country.
Abstract
The findings show that drug use among the arrestee population is much higher than in the general U.S. population. The majority of booked arrestees in each site tested positive for at least one illicit drug. The levels of use were statistically unchanged from 2007 ADAM II data, except for the following three sites, which showed significant decreases in 2008: Atlanta, GA; Portland, OR; and Washington, DC. Many arrestees tested positive for more than one substance; multiple substance users ranged from 15 percent in Atlanta to 40 percent in Chicago. Of the 10 drugs for which arrestees were tested, the most common substances used, in descending order, were marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and methamphetamine; however, there were regional variations, most notably the greater use of methamphetamine in the 2 Western sites. The report presents detailed findings on arrestees' use of marijuana; cocaine (crack and powder); heroin; methamphetamine; and "other drugs," including phenyclidine (PCP), oxycodone, and methadone. Regarding the crime-related aspects of arrestees' drug use, of those reporting drug use in the past year, more than 1 in 10 were arrested 2 or more times during the same period in 8 of the 10 sites. In five sites, approximately one in four had a violent crime among the charges on the current booking. Four additional sites had 15-20 percent of their arrestees with a violent-crime charge. In 2008, 4,592 interviews were conducted with arrestees from all 10 sites. Of these arrestees, 3,924 provided a urine specimen for testing.