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BJS reports on “Alcohol and Drug Use and Treatment Reported by Prisoners”

By Douglas Berman

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has released this new report, titled “Alcohol and Drug Use and Treatment Reported by Prisoners: Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016,” which explores drug and alcohol use among prisoners before they were imprisoned their participation in drug and alcohol treatment programs since admission to prison.  Here are “Highlights” appearing on the report’s first page:

  • Thirty-one percent of state prisoners and 25% of federal prisoners reported drinking alcohol at the time of the offense.

  • Nearly 4 in 10 state prisoners (39%) and 3 in 10 federal prisoners (31%) reported using drugs at the time of the offense.

  • Among state prisoners, males (32%) were more likely than females (26%) to report drinking alcohol at the time of the offense but were less likely (39%) than females (49%) to report using at least one drug at the time of the offense.

  • An estimated 2 in 10 state (21%) and federal (20%) prisoners reported using marijuana at the time of the offense.

  • About 20% of state and 11% of federal prisoners reported ever using heroin, and 5% of state and 3% of federal prisoners reported using it at the time of the offense.

  • Among those not incarcerated for the entire 12 months prior to admission to prison, about 49% of state and 32% of federal prisoners met the criteria for having a substance use disorder in that time period.

And here are just a few of the “Other key findings” that also caught my eye:

  • Among state prisoners, about 3 in 10 whites (31%), blacks (30%), and Hispanics (33%) reported drinking alcohol at the time of the offense.

  • State prisoners serving time for a violent (35%) offense were less likely than those serving time for a drug (55%) or a property (49%) offense to report using drugs at the time of the offense.

  • Property (59%), drug (56%), and public-order (52%) offenders in state prison were more likely than violent offenders (42%) to have met the criteria for having a substance use disorder in the 12 months prior to admission to prison.