NCJ Number
216470
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 25 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 433-437
Date Published
September 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examined illegal drug use among incarcerated women in Australia prior to their arrest.
Abstract
Results indicated that 62 percent of female offenders reported regular use of illegal drugs during the 6 months prior to their arrest and 39 percent of female offenders reported multiple drug use. Self-reported cannabis use was highest among Indigenous women while non-Indigenous women reported higher rates of heroin, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines use as well as multiple drug use. Predictors for illegal drug use prior to arrest included young age; less than 10 years of education; school dropout; unmarried, cohabiting in de facto relationships, separated, or divorced; no children; and having mental health problems. Regular and multiple drug use was most common among women who earned at least half of their income through crime or sex work. The findings indicate the need to take into account the prevalence of multiple drug use when designing treatment interventions for female offender populations. Programming should also speak to the multiple problems affecting these women’s lives, such as mental health problems and violent victimization. The study was part of a larger research project investigating the relationships between criminal offending and drug use in Australia. For the current analysis, 470 female offenders in 6 jurisdictions in Australia completed a structured questionnaire via face-to-face interview that focused on demographic characteristics, criminal history, drug use history, experiences of abuse, drug and alcohol problems within their families, and mental health problems. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the correlates of illegal drug use prior to arrest. Limitations of the study are discussed and include problems with generalizability of the findings. Tables, figure, references