NCJ Number
179631
Date Published
1999
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Information is provided on inmates under custody of the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DCS) on December 31, 1998, who had been identified as substance abusers.
Abstract
The information reflects self-report drug use prior to incarceration and/or scores of five or above on the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST). Self-report data on drug use and MAST scores indicated 68 percent (47,754) of the total inmate population of 70,004 were substance abusers, including 68 percent of male inmates (44,927 of 66,499) and 81 percent of female inmates (2,827 of 3,505). While the majority of inmates were classified as substance abusers, the percentage of male new commitments who self-reported drug abuse declined from 63 percent in 1995 to 53 percent in 1998. The percentage of male new commitments with alcohol problems but no reported drug abuse increased slightly over the same period, from 11 to 13 percent. Self-reported drug abuse among female new commitments showed different trends, increasing each year since 1995 and reaching a high of 75 percent in 1998. Tables present data on drug and alcohol abuse, type of drug use, crime of commitment, region of commitment, minimum sentence, maximum sentence, second felony status, current age, educational level, and ethnic status. Trends in identified substance abusers among new court commitments to the DCS between 1995 and 1998 are discussed. 17 tables