Self-reported alcohol use and abuse by arrestees in the 1998 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program

Abstract

Data collected in the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program on alcohol and other drug use among arrestees provide a valuable opportunity to examine the relationship between alcohol use and violence. The data are used to explore the combined use of alcohol and other drugs among offenders and the relationships between substance use and the offenders' demographic characteristics and offenses. These findings are used to identify changes in the offenders' alcohol and other drug use over time.

Figure 1

Alcohol use and abuse among 1998 ADAM system participants by race/ethnicity and gender. Virtually no racial differences were found in recent alcohol consumption among white, black, and Hispanic male arrestees. A smaller proportion of black men than white or Hispanic men reported being under the influence at the time of the offense. Among the women, Hispanics were slightly less likely than whites or blacks to report recent alcohol use and less likely to have been under the influence at the time of the offense. ADAM = Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice 1999.

Figure 2

Alcohol and other drug use/abuse by age group. In all age groups except persons under age 21, arrestees were more likely to report recent alcohol use than test positive for cocaine, marijuana, or opiates. Arrestees between ages 15 and 20 were more likely to test positive for marijuana than to have reported either recent alcohol use or being under the influence of alcohol at the time of their offense. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice 1999.

Figure 3

Alcohol- and drug-use combinations by type of charge at arrest. DUI = driving under the influence. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice 1999.