Highlights

In 2002 more than two-thirds of jail inmates were found to be dependent on or to abuse alcohol or drugs, based on data from the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002. Two in five inmates were dependent on alcohol or drugs, while nearly 1 in 4 abused alcohol or drugs, but were not dependent on them. Estimates of substance dependence or abuse were based on criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Jail inmates who met the criteria for substance dependence or abuse (70%) were more likely than other inmates (46%) to have a criminal record. They were nearly twice as likely as other inmates to have been homeless in the year before their offense (16 % compared to 9%) or to have grown up with a parent or guardian who abused alcohol or drugs (37 % compared to 17%). Nearly two-thirds of jail inmates who met the criteria for substance dependence or abuse had participated in substance abuse treatment or other alcohol or drug programs in the past. More than half of the inmates who had used alcohol or drugs at the time of their offense had ever received treatment or participated in other substance abuse programs while under correctional supervision