NCJ Number
138846
Journal
British Journal of Addictions Volume: 87 Dated: (1992) Pages: 27-33
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Interviews of 1,751 male inmates in England and Wales in 1988 and 1989 gathered information regarding drug abuse in the 6 months prior to the offense.
Abstract
The participants were selected at random from 17 prisons and 8 institutions for youthful offenders, representing the full range of security levels, offense types, and sentence lengths. The confidential interviews were conducted by a psychiatrist and gathered information about the type and frequency of drug use and about demographic characteristics. Prison and medical records provided information about offenses and sentencing. Results revealed that 43 percent of the inmates reported using a drug before arrest. Thirty-four percent used marijuana, 9 percent used opiates, 9 percent used amphetamines, and 5 percent used cocaine. Eleven percent of the offenders reported injecting drugs. White inmates were more likely than black inmates to report use of "hard" drugs, drug dependence, and injecting; black inmates reported higher rates of marijuana and cocaine. Opiate use varied geographically. The most common index offense in drug- dependent offenders was burglary, followed by theft and drug law offenses. Tables and 37 references