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Drug use prevalent among adult arrestees Criminal Justice

Drug use remains a critical problem among local adult arrestees in San Diego County. According to the latest report from SANDAG, in 2006, 75 percent of adult females and 66 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana, meth, cocaine, opiates, or PCP.

The 2006 Adult Arrestee Drug Use in the San Diego Region, just released by the SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Division, is the second in a series highlighting findings from data collected as part of the Substance Abuse Monitoring (SAM) program. With funding from the SANDAG Criminal Justice Clearinghouse, these data have been reported on an annual basis, providing useful information to policymakers, as well as law enforcement, prevention, and treatment professionals regarding drug use trends over time.

The new report shows a number of findings about adults who are arrested in the San Diego region.

  • Even though fewer male and female arrestees tested positive for meth in 2006, compared to 2005, it remained the drug of choice for San Diego County arrestees, with more testing positive for it than any other substance.

  • Male arrestees were more likely to report recent alcohol use and to test positive for marijuana; female arrestees were more likely to test positive for meth, crack, and heroin.

  • More than one in three arrestees reported illegally using prescription drugs in the past, with White non-Hispanic arrestees more likely than other ethnic groups.

  • In contrast to the general population, in which drug use generally declines with age, meth use was highest among 25 to 39 year olds, and cocaine and heroin use among those 40 and older.

  • Individuals with drug use histories were more likely to report mental health issues, demonstrating the importance of dual diagnosis treatment when working with this population.

As part of the SAM project, arrestees are approached (using a random sampling method) within 48 hours of their arrest and booking into jail. If the arrestee is available and willing to participate in a confidential survey, s/he is asked a series of questions related to her/his drug use history and to provide a urine sample for drug testing. In 2006, interviews with 516 male arrestees were conducted at the Vista and Central Jails and 254 interviews with female arrestees were conducted at Las Colinas. Seven hundred thirty-six (736) of these arrestees also provided a valid urine sample for analysis.

This research bulletin includes updated information regarding self-reported drug use, the results of urinalysis trends since 2000, factors related to drug use, participation in other risky behaviors, and prior receipt of drug and/or mental health treatment. In addition, new information regarding reentry from prison is presented and the drug market section has been expanded.

In 2006, this data collection effort was generously supported by the California Border Alliance Group (CBAG) and County of San Diego Alcohol and Drug Services (ADS). Their support, as well as the cooperation of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, is gratefully acknowledged.

The first SAM bulletin, summarizing results of juvenile interviews, was released in June 2007. The third SAM bulletin, with information from a methamphetamine addendum, will be released later this month.

More information is available at www.sandag.org/sam.

Project Manager:
Cynthia Burke, Director, Criminal Justice Research Division
cbu@sandag.org, (619) 699-1910