STUDY OF NARCOTICS-ADDICTED OFFENDERS AT THE D C (DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) JAIL, JANUARY 18-30, 1971

• NCJ Number: 32467
• Author(s): U F BASS; B S BROWN; R L DUPONT
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 85 pages
• Grant Number(s): DF-71-925; DF-70-046
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: District of Columbia Office of Criminal Justice Plans and Analysis; District of Columbia Dept of Human Resources
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED AND URINE SAMPLES TAKEN FROM 150 OFFENDERS WITHIN 24 HOURS OF ADMISSION TO THE JAIL IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE PARAMETERS OF HEROIN USE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Abstract

AMONG THE 150 OFFENDERS INTERVIEWED, 68 PERCENT WERE IDENTIFIED AS HEROIN USERS. FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT ADMITTED USING HEROIN AND BEING ADDICTED TO IT, I.E., USING HEROIN DAILY FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS. AN ADDITIONAL 21 PERCENT ADMITTED USING HEROIN ON A NON-DAILY BASIS BUT REPORTED THEY WERE NOT ADDICTED TO IT. THREE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE - FOUR OFFENDERS - REPORTED NEVER HAVING USED HEROIN, BUT HAD POSITIVE URINALYSIS RESULTS FOR MORPHINE AND/OR QUININE. AMONG OFFENDERS NOT USING HEROIN, 17 PERCENT REPORTED THEMSELVES AS HAVING USED DRUGS AT SOME TIME IN THE PAST. OF THESE, MOST (SEVEN OR EIGHT) HAD FIRST USED MARIJUANA. AT THE SAME TIME, SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF OF THE ADDICTS AND ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE PERIODIC HEROIN USERS ('CHIPPERS') STATED THAT MARIJUANA WAS THE FIRST DRUG THEY HAD EVER USED. HOWEVER, ABOUT TWO-FIFTHS OF THE ADDICTS AND ONE-THIRD OF THE 'CHIPPERS' STARTED WITH HEROIN. OTHER AREAS STUDIED INCLUDED USE OF DRUGS OTHER THAN HEROIN, HEROIN ADDICTION TREATMENT STATUS, ALCOHOL USE, PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND CRIMINAL OFFENSES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)