NCJ Number
199610
Date Published
2003
Length
109 pages
Annotation
This report offers data on drug use among police detainees in Australia for the year 2002.
Abstract
The report was compiled by the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) project, which conducted voluntary interviews of 3,634 police detainees in 7 sites across Australia during 2002. Furthermore, around 79 percent, or 2,878 of the detainees, also agreed to provide a urine sample for the purposes of this report. Information gathered from the interview process includes demographic data, drug use history, drug market information, drug treatment history, and prior conduct with the criminal justice system. Results of the 2002 data revealed that 56 percent of the detainees had a prior arrest within the 12 months preceding the interview. Of those who had a prior arrest, 49 percent tested positive for the presence of opiates, amphetamines, or cocaine. Twenty-two percent of the detainees had a prior term of imprisonment; of these, 60 percent tested positive for opiates, amphetamines, or cocaine. Other highlights of the report include the fact that during 2002, 54 percent of all detainees reported paying for cannabis, cocaine, heroin, or amphetamines during the month prior to the interview. Data on self-reported alcohol use and self-reported criminal activity among detainees are also offered, as are data on juvenile detainees. The second half of the report breaks the data down into each of the seven sites across Australia. References