70% of prisoners have abused drugs

[Daniel]

Yeah, so, I don't know how true this is. I'll do a search shortly. However, I just heard this on my local news. They did say it was an estimate, though I found it intriguing. 70% of prisoners have abused drugs.

Assuming this statistic is correct or near close, this would mean the majority of crime, nearly 3/4 is possibly brought on by drug abuse. Now, I understand that much of that isn't accurate - people can abuse drugs and become criminals later or after.

Still, I found it interesting.

[Adstar]

Yeah, so, I don't know how true this is. I'll do a search shortly. However, I just heard this on my local news. They did say it was an estimate, though I found it intriguing. 70% of prisoners have abused drugs.

Assuming this statistic is correct or near close, this would mean the majority of crime, nearly 3/4 is possibly brought on by drug abuse. Now, I understand that much of that isn't accurate - people can abuse drugs and become criminals later or after.

Still, I found it interesting.

Prisons are depressing and stressful places to be. People who are in prisons often start taking drugs as a coping mechanism. So it would be more accurate to get the % of first time prisoners who are drug users before they start their first time prison sentence. That way you would have a better idea if drugs are a cause of someone taking up a life of crime.

[Illuminatus]

I wonder what percentage of that 70% are in prison merely for possession or supply of drugs.

[Bennett_Star]

Yeah, so, I don't know how true this is. I'll do a search shortly. However, I just heard this on my local news. They did say it was an estimate, though I found it intriguing. 70% of prisoners have abused drugs.

Assuming this statistic is correct or near close, this would mean the majority of crime, nearly 3/4 is possibly brought on by drug abuse. Now, I understand that much of that isn't accurate - people can abuse drugs and become criminals later or after.

Still, I found it interesting.

Well, the numbers would be inflated for those who have been in prison for years. Not much else to do. Plus, how many of those people went to prison just because of victimless drug crimes? Not to mention the fact that people who go to prison are generally stupider (well are less educated anyway, usually not mentally handicapped) than your average person, and thus more likely to abuse drugs. A cause and effect relationship between violent crimes and drug use is barely evident. There is nothing supporting that drugs are the main cause or even a big cause for real crimes (excluding just drug related crimes).

Correlation does not imply causation, and the truth is that drugs and crime are both symptoms of the same disease; poor education generally due to the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

[Daniel]

Hmm... according to good 'ol PBS, rather than 70%, it could be as high as 80%.

Here are some stats I found:

During the 1990s, as the prison population grew, so did the proportion of inmates who reported substance abuse. In 1991, 50 percent of state prisoners reported using illegal drugs in the month prior to the offense that led to their incarceration. By 1997, the latest year for which nationwide figures are available, that percentage had risen to 57 percent. Among federal prisoners, the proportion reporting drug use prior to offending rose from 32 percent in 1991 to 45 percent in 1997. The percentage of state and federal prisoners reporting alcohol use at the time of their offense also rose during this period, from 32 to 37 percent for state prisoners and from 11 to 20 percent for federal prisoners.

Additionally, these numbers reflect only self-reported substance abuse, which might tend to underestimate the true magnitude of the problem.

[omni]

Criminals are often people who have really messed up lives. They're often poor, have relationship problems, and emotional problems. They take (or abuse) drugs to feel better (just like the way most people abuse coffee).

[Bennett_Star]

Criminals are often people who have really messed up lives. They're often poor, have relationship problems, and emotional problems. They take (or abuse) drugs to feel better (just like the way most people abuse coffee).
Well put!:)

[Daniel]

Well put, but how is it relevant?

[Bennett_Star]

Well put, but how is it relevant?
It states many of the real causes for drug abuse, as well as crime. It explains the high percentages without saying that A caused B because they existed at the same time. Instead it nicely shows how X, causes A and B.

[omni]

To elaborate it a little more....

The reason they have messed up lives is because of society--the way that society looks upon such people, the way society oppresses such people, the way that the government and society neglect such people is the reason for their messed up lives. So in a way, by neglecting to fix these societal problems, we (I mean everyone) plays a part in this cycle of crime, violence, poverty, and drug abuse.

[Daniel]

It states many of the real causes for drug abuse, as well as crime. It explains the high percentages without saying that A caused B because they existed at the same time. Instead it nicely shows how X, causes A and B.

Yes, but while criminals may come from poorer and more uneducated homes, which most deffinately play a role, drugs also play a roll. I see your point though.

Poor = low education (or vice versa) = drug abuse = prison.

[Panthrophile]

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/duc.htm

16.4% of inmates are in jail for crimes committed to get money for drugs. Were drugs legal, and cheap, those people would not suffer the same financial hardship that they did and would likely not be in jail.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/correct.htm

24.7% of inmates are in jail for drug related offences. Were drugs legal, these people would not be in jail.

Therefore, the very fact that drugs are illegal accounts for 40.1% of America's prison population.

What's more, it is likely that a number of other prisoners were first introduced to crime through people that they would not have met if using drugs didn't necessitate knowing criminals. If drugs were legal and these people didn't have to associate with criminals in order to get them, it's likely that some of these people would not have ended up in jail.

And further, silly things like drug-prohibition breed contempt for law and law enforcers. People with contempt for law and law enforcers are more likely to break laws, whether those laws are drug-related or not.

Therefore, I would guess, that 50-70% of prisoners would not be in prison if not for drug prohibition.

[Adstar]

While the "experts" can come up with competing percentages about the effects of prohibition it is clear to me that whatever the actual truth of the figures the basic fact that prohibition does not work is self evident.

It did not work in the 1930's when they banned the drinking of alcohol and it has not worked with the drug trade. All that prohibition achieved was the creation of an extremely profitable commodity that gave great wealth and power to organised crime and corrupted government officials and members of the Law enforcement community. The amount of alcohol consumption actually rose during the years of alcohol prohibition. The same thing is happening today but on a far more damaging scale, now its a multi billion dollar drugs industry which on some accounts is more profitable then the oil industry. the level of violence and corruption has only grown.

You cannot legislate self-control and wisdom, you cannot force people to be healthy,you can not create a nanny state. All you do is make a substance even more desirable because it is illegal. All you do by putting drug addicts in prison is send then to a crime university where they lean to be ruthless and cold hearted if they want to survive. They go is hopeless and pathetic addicts and come out hard and mean, ready to be the foot solders or organised crime.

[Daniel]

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/duc.htm

16.4% of inmates are in jail for crimes committed to get money for drugs. Were drugs legal, and cheap, those people would not suffer the same financial hardship that they did and would likely not be in jail.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/correct.htm

24.7% of inmates are in jail for drug related offences. Were drugs legal, these people would not be in jail.

Therefore, the very fact that drugs are illegal accounts for 40.1% of America's prison population.

What's more, it is likely that a number of other prisoners were first introduced to crime through people that they would not have met if using drugs didn't necessitate knowing criminals. If drugs were legal and these people didn't have to associate with criminals in order to get them, it's likely that some of these people would not have ended up in jail.

And further, silly things like drug-prohibition breed contempt for law and law enforcers. People with contempt for law and law enforcers are more likely to break laws, whether those laws are drug-related or not.

Therefore, I would guess, that 50-70% of prisoners would not be in prison if not for drug prohibition.

Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on this issue.

The way I see it, we have two options:

Option 1 - We make most, if not all drugs legal. Little or no restrictions, which would lower the price and, theoretically, drastically cut the prison population.

Option 2 - Restrict drugs and crack down on them even more, making it virtually impossible to purchase. This would also, theoretically cut down on the prison population.

[butcher]

The atmosphere in most of the prison are fit for taking drugs!!

[Mystic Chaos]

If drugs were legal in this country we wouldn't have an over crowding problem and we could deal with the more serious crimes

[Kleophon]

Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on this issue.

The way I see it, we have two options:

Option 1 - We make most, if not all drugs legal. Little or no restrictions, which would lower the price and, theoretically, drastically cut the prison population.

Option 2 - Restrict drugs and crack down on them even more, making it virtually impossible to purchase. This would also, theoretically cut down on the prison population.

Option 1 would be pretty iffy, but I agree that theoretically it could work. Option 2 would work in the long run, but we'd have to be prepared for a short-term prison surge because we'll be putting lots of people in prison at first, which will then take care of the long-run (hopefully). But the problem is that if either of these implemented options didn't work, it would heighten the problem to higher levels than before because people would see the laws as not enforcable.

[Daniel]

^ either way, there are risks. Morever, many would say that both ways are impractical, and the government would never go for it.

[MafiaMaster]

If you go with option one, then you have a lot of people being effected by the drugs and there can be a lot of potential deaths. By going with option two, you have the issue of the incredible increase in prison population. So, you have to decide what is worse? More prisoners being paid for from our tax money or more deaths from drug abuse?

[Panthrophile]

Drugs like Cannabis, LSD and Mushrooms simply don't kill people. The vast majority of drug-related deaths are from opiates or cocaine.

Opiates at recreational doses are quite harmless. Problems only arise when opiates are combined with other depressants (alcohol, valium) or when the dose is too high. People don't overdose on purpose; they just have trouble guessing at the quality of street-smack. If heroin came from the pharmacy and had the mg/ml or % by weight right on the container then overdoses would be a lot less likely.

A drug like naloxone can instantly 'cure' a heroin/opioid overdose. If this was sold in the same store as the other drugs then there would be practically no heroin overdose deaths at all, I think.

Cocaine deaths are more often than not in conjuction with other drugs. Cocaine alone is generally only dangerous if you've a bad heart to begin with. In these cases obesity is as much to blame as cocaine, yet only the cocaine is illegal.

So, if drugs were legal there would be no more deaths from Cannabis, LSD or Mushrooms, as these drugs don't cause deaths, and heroin/opioid deaths could concievably be reduced drastically.

This is all tangental to the fact, though, that people've the right to do as they like, whether it hurts them or not, so long as they don't hurt other people. Freedom, and what not.

[Daniel]

So, if drugs were legal there would be no more deaths from Cannabis, LSD or Mushrooms, as these drugs don't cause deaths, and heroin/opioid deaths could concievably be reduced drastically.

I halfway agree with you. But how/why would the heroin/opioid deaths be reduced? If they were more available and the deaths are caused by certain conditions and overdoses and drug combinations, wouldn't they increase as more people took them?

I do see how it would cut back on crime and such, but as for deaths? I'm not seeing it.

[Crystal Shards]

Don't a lot of people get arrested BECAUSE they use drugs? Like drug dealers and stuff. And from what I hear, drugs and gang activity are closely related. So it makes sense.

That and drugs make you more... eh... easily led into situations you might not get into had you been sober/not high/whatever. So yeah, it doesn't surprise me too much.

~Crystal

[Daniel]

Don't a lot of people get arrested BECAUSE they use drugs? Like drug dealers and stuff. And from what I hear, drugs and gang activity are closely related. So it makes sense.

Yeah, that's partially the point. If drugs aren't illegal or such, then people wouldn't get arrested because of drugs (though some drug-related crimes would remain).

That and drugs make you more... eh... easily led into situations you might not get into had you been sober/not high/whatever. So yeah, it doesn't surprise me too much.

~Crystal

And this is another point... more drugs could possibly cause more crime. I suppose the only way to actually know would be to apply it.

[omni]

What surprises me is that while there is sex education in America, there is very little drug education for responsible drug use. If we want to reduce drug-related crimes, then people must be educated about drugs. But since drug education in public schools is such a taboo topic, the drug problem is really a catch-22 situation.

[solidghost]

Perhaps like alcohol during the prohibition period ?
It made organized crime.

[Daniel]

Perhaps like alcohol during the prohibition period ?
It made organized crime.

Something like that.

Basically, drugs and, as a result, crime are more abundant because it (certain drugs) is illegal.

[zrts2002]

Something like that.

Basically, drugs and, as a result, crime are more abundant because it (certain drugs) is illegal.
yep...sure is

[barrybert]

Criminals are often people who have really messed up lives. They're often poor, have relationship problems, and emotional problems. They take (or abuse) drugs to feel better.

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