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In 30 percent of violent crime
victimizations in 1992, victims reported
that they believed their assailants were
under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In
half of violent crime victimizations, the
victim did not know whether the offender
was under the influence. (Bureau of Justice
Statistics, 1995, "Drugs and Crime Facts, 1994," page 4,
U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.)
In 1991, 49 percent of all state prison
inmates reported that they were under the
influence of drugs or alcohol or both at the
time they committed the offense for which
they were currently sentenced: 17 percent
were under the influence of drugs only, and
14 percent were under the influence of
drugs and alcohol. Half of the state
prisoners said they had taken illegal drugs
during the month before committing the
crime. (Ibid., page 6).
Nearly 40 percent of the youth incarcerated
in long-term, state-operated facilities in
1987 said they were under the influence of
drugs at the time of their offense. (Ibid., page
6)
Almost 83 percent of youth in long-term,
state operated juvenile facilities in 1987
reported use of an illegal drug in the past,
and 63 percent had used an illegal drug on
a regular basis. The most commonly
mentioned drugs were marijuana, cocaine,
and amphetamines. (Ibid., page 7)
Overall, ten percent of Federal prison
inmates in 1991, 17 percent of state prison
inmates in 1991, and 13 percent of
convicted jail inmates in 1989 said they
committed their offense to obtain money
for drugs. (Ibid., page 8)
The National Pretrial Reporting Program
found that in 1992, of all released
defendants rearrested for a drug offense, 59
percent were once again granted pretrial
release. (Ibid., page 16)
The number of suspects prosecuted for
Federal drug offenses increased from 7,697
in 1981 to 25,663 in 1991. (Ibid., page 18)
In 1993, the Drug Use Forecasting Report
on Drug Use Among Juvenile
Arrestees/Detainees found the percent
positive for marijuana ranged from 14 to 51
percent, with a median value of 26 percent;
in 1992, the range was from 5 to 38
percent with a median of 16.5 percent (an
almost ten percent increase in the median).
(National Institute of Justice, 1994, "1993 Annual Report
on Juvenile Arrestees/Detainees: Drugs and Crime in
America's Cities," page 3, U.S. Department of Justice,
Washington, D.C.)
Ninety percent of 12th graders have friends
who use alcohol; 63 percent know someone
who has a drinking problem; and 26
percent have friends who use LSD, cocaine
or heroin. (Luntz Research Companies, 1995,
"National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance
Abuse," Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia University, New York, NY)
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