Drug Use Prevalence Among Offenders (From Psychology and Law: International Perspectives, P 105-110, 1992, Friedrich Losel, Doris Bender, et al., eds. -- See NCJ-148224)

• NCJ Number: 148230
• Author(s): S Brochu; L Desjardins; A Douyon; C Forget
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Walter de Gruyter & Co
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Germany (Unified)

Annotation

Aggregate data were obtained from three simultaneous studies conducted in Canada to evaluate the prevalence of drug use by both adult and young offenders.

Abstract

Data were collected through structured interviews; in addition, adults completed the Drug Abuse Screening Test. Of 453 interviewed offenders, 224 were adults (130 men and 94 women) and 229 were young offenders (175 boys and 54 girls). With offenders reporting their drug use over a 12-month period, cannabis was the most popular drug for every group except women. Cocaine followed cannabis in popularity, but its price contributed to the fact that more adults used it than adolescents. Adult drug users tended to be regular users, while young offenders tended to be experimental users. About 58 percent of both male and female offenders experienced at least a moderate level of drug abuse. 19 references and 3 figures