« Most House Republicans Vote to Let Schoolchildren Be Held Down, Tied Up, and Put in Solitary Confinement | Main | Woman charged in breast milk assault on jailer »
March 07, 2010
Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population: 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse
Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population
Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
http://www.casacolumbia.org/articlefiles/575-report2010behindbars2.pdf
From press release:
Of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nations prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics, according to Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population. Combined these two groups constitute 85 percent of the U.S. prison population.
The new 144-page report released Feb 2010 by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University also reveals that alcohol and other drugs are significant factors in all crime. In 2006, alcohol and other drugs were involved in these inmate offenses:
* 78 percent of violent crimes;
* 83 percent of property crimes; and
* 77 percent of public order, immigration or weapon offenses; and probation/parole violations.
The CASA report found that only 11 percent of all inmates with substance abuse and addiction disorders receive any treatment during their incarceration. The report found that if all inmates who needed treatment and aftercare received such services, the nation would break even in a year if just over 10 percent remained substance and crime free and employed. Thereafter, for each inmate who remained sober, employed and crime free the nation would reap an economic benefit of $90,953 per year.
Posted by lois at March 7, 2010 10:52 AM