NCJ Number
142943
Date Published
1993
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report describes the characteristics of inmates in New York State prisons on January 2, 1993 who have been identified as drug abusers based on self-reported drug use and scores of nine or above on the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test.
Abstract
Sixty-eight percent (39,745) of the total male inmate population of 58,235 are drug abusers, according to these measures. This number must be considered a conservative estimate, since data are missing on some offenders. If cases with missing data are excluded, a total of 73 percent of the inmates are drug abusers. Among these inmates, 46 percent use cocaine or crack, 15 percent report heroin use, 9 percent use other drugs or narcotics, 21 percent use marijuana or hashish, and 9 percent are alcoholics with no other drug use. Thirty-six percent of the drug abusers were committed for the sale or possession of drugs, 22 percent for robbery, 14 percent for homicide, and 11 percent for burglary. Findings support the need for inmate drug treatment resources. Tables