DRUG HISTORIES OF PRISONERS - SURVEY OF INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES (FROM CRITICAL CONCERNS IN THE FIELD OF DRUG ABUSE - PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD NATIONAL CONFERENCE, INC, 1978)

• NCJ Number: 54338
• Author(s): W I BARTON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Marcel Dekker, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: CONFERENCE HELD IN NEW YORK (NY), 1976

Annotation

RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A SURVEY DESIGNED TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO DRUG HISTORIES.

Abstract

THE SURVEY WHOSE RESULTS ARE REPORTED WAS RESTRICTED TO STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES HOUSING ADULT AND YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS. OUT OF 710 FACILITIES DEFINED TO BE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SURVEY, 190 FACILITIES WERE SELECTED, USING SCIENTIFIC SAMPLING METHODS, AND 10,359 INMATES OF THESE FACILITIES WERE SELECTED FOR INTERVIEW. THE SAMPLE REPRESENTED AN ESTIMATED 191,400 INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. THE PRETESTED QUESTIONNAIRE GATHERED DATA ON THE FOLLOWING: (1) DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS; (2) INCARCERATION HISTORY; (3) PRESENT CONVICTION AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING IT; (4) LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION AND INCOME PRIOR TO ARREST; AND (5) DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE. STATISTICS FOR THE FIRST FOUR DATA CATEGORIES ARE SUMMARIZED, AND THE DATA ON DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE ARE REPORTED IN DETAIL. OF THE SUBJECTS, 61 PERCENT STATED THEY HAD USED DRUGS SUCH AS HEROIN, METHADONE, COCAINE, MARIHUANA, AMPHETAMINES, OR BARBITUATES AT SOME TIME, WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION AND OUTSIDE OF A TREATMENT PROGRAM. HEROIN APPROACHED DAILY USE BY ONE-FIFTH OF THE SUBJECTS, WHILE MARIHUANA HAD BEEN USED WITH THE SAME FREQUENCY BY ONE-QUARTER OF THE INMATES. DATA SHOWED THAT NEARLY 73 PERCENT OF THE INMATES WHO STATED THEY HAD EVER USED DRUGS DAILY WERE USING DRUGS WITH THIS FREQUENCY AT THE TIME OF ANY OF THE PRESENT OFFENSES RESULTING IN IMPRISONMENT; THIS TRANSLATES TO MEAN THAT ABOUT ONE IN FOUR OF ALL INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES WERE USING DRUGS ALMOST DAILY AT THE TIME OF THEIR ARREST FOR THE OFFENSE RESULTING IN THEIR CURRENT IMPRISONMENT. FOUR OUT OF TEN INMATES STATED THEY HAD BEEN DRINKING AT THE TIME OF THE OFFENSE RESULTING IN THEIR CURRENT IMPRISONMENT. ONLY 4 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS STATED THEY WERE IN DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS AT THE TIME OF THEIR MOST RECENT OFFENSE, AND ONLY 9 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS STATED THEY HAD BEEN ENROLLED IN A DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAM PRIOR TO THEIR MOST RECENT OFFENSE. TABULAR DATA ON SUBJECTS' DRUG HISTORIES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)