NCJ Number
77835
Date Published
1980
Length
216 pages
Annotation
Longitudinal and cross-sectional data on persons arested in the District of Columbia were used to construct a large data base that was then used to examine the relationship between arrestee drug use and crime.
Abstract
Information about the offenses charged, case processing and disposition, and prior and subsequent offenses for a large number of persons was merged with information about each person's drug use at arrest and about prior and subsequent drug treatment. The District of Columbia was chosen because it was the only jurisdiction in the country where, until October 1980, arrestees were routinely tested for drug use by means of urinalysis. Since December 1971, almost all arrestees who were detained in the D. C. Superior Court lockup facility prior to their court appearance were asked to provide information about their use of drugs, prior drug treatment, and current arrest charge; and to provide a urine specimen for analysis. The data base's cross-sectional files contained 57,944 cases for the period from 1973 through 1977. The longitudinal file contained arrest records for 7,087 persons from 1973 through 1978. Most of the data analyses used cases from 1973 and 1974. The urinalysis tests could detect nine substances: morphine, quinine, methadone, phenmetrazine, codeine, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and barbiturates. Female arrestees and those between ages 21 and 45, especially those between 21 and 30, were the most likely to have positive drug tests. Arrestees charged with crimes against persons, particularly assault, were least likely to be found to be using drugs. Drug-positive arrestees who were accepted for prosecution were less likely than drug-negative arrestees to be released on personal recognizance and more likely to be released to the custody of a third party or to post bond. This result indicated that the court uses the urinalysis tests in assessing the defendant's likelihood of appearing in court. Other analyses focused on arrestees' drug status and age, prostitution charges among females with drug-positive tests, age at which arrestees typically seek treatment for the first time, relationship of drug status to the likelihood of rearrest, and types of crimes associated with drug users. The report recommends that urinalysis programs be used to provide information useful for the pretrial release decision and to show trends in specific drugs' use in the community. Additional recommendations, a bibliography of about 55 references, figures, tables, and five appendixes presenting data collection forms and background information on the construction of the data base are provided. For an executive summary, see NCJ 77834.