Drug Histories and Criminality: Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities, January 1974

Abstract

In January 1974, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, assisted by the Census Bureau, interviewed 10,400 inmates of state correctional facilities. Results from this survey were applicable to 191,400 inmates, which was the estimated population of all state correctional facilities at the time of the survey. Findings showed that an estimated 61% of the 191,400 inmates stated they had used drugs such as heroin, methadone, cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, or barbiturates at some point in their lives, without a doctor's prescription and outside of a treatment program. A greater percentage of inmates presently convicted of property crimes (61%) had ever used drugs than inmates convicted of violent crimes (56%)—a difference which becomes greater when inmates convicted of robbery are removed from the violent crime category, particularly since seven out of every 10 inmates presently convicted of robbery had ever used drugs. Around one out of every four inmates stated they were using drugs daily, or almost daily, at the time of any of their present offense(s) resulting in imprisonment. Around one in every three inmates presently convicted of robbery was using drugs daily at this time. Classifying inmates according to daily drug use at this time resulted in the finding that a significantly smaller proportion of inmates with daily drug use at this time were presently convicted of “violent crimes” (41%) than inmates with no drug use (57%). In this survey, inmates were asked if they were under the influence of any drugs at the time of any of the offense(s) causing their present imprisonment. Around one in four of all inmates responded affirmatively to this question. Inmates were asked if they had been drinking at the time of any of the offenses resulting in their being in prison at this time. Four out of every 10 stated they had. Taken together with other drugs, six out of every 10 inmates were either under the influence of drugs, or had been drinking, at the time of any of the offenses causing imprisonment now. When the population was asked about enrollment in drug treatment programs, responses were that only 4% of all inmates were enrolled at the time of any of the present offenses resulting in imprisonment, while around 9% had been enrolled in drug treatment prior to the time of their present offenses.