ALCOHOL, DRUGS PLAY ROLE IN CRIMES

Half of probationers under the influence while breaking the law, statistics show

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Almost half the men and women on probation in the United
States were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed
their crimes, the Justice Department said Sunday.

The first national survey of probationers, conducted for the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, found that 46.8 percent of probationers had used either
alcohol, drugs or both at the time of their offense.

This was lower than use among incarcerated criminals at the time of their
offenses. Among jail inmates, 60 percent had used alcohol, drugs or both
when they committed their crimes; among state prison inmates, the figure
was 49 percent.

Alcohol consumption was more prevalent than use of illegal drugs.

Among probationers, 40 percent had consumed alcohol when they committed
their crimes and 14 percent used drugs. Probationers who used alcohol
along with drugs are counted in both the separate alcohol and drug
percentages, which accounts for those two figures totaling more than the
combined percentage.

The number of probationers consuming alcohol at the time of their offense
was comparable to that of jail inmates, 41 percent, but higher than that of
state prisoners, 32 percent.

But drug use by probationers during their crime was far below the figures
for jail inmates, 32 percent, or state prisoners, 36 percent.

The most commonly used drug was marijuana. Among all probationers, 67
percent said they had used marijuana or hashish at least once in their
lives, 31 percent had used crack or other forms of cocaine, 25 percent had
taken stimulants, 20 percent hallucinogens, 15 percent barbiturates and 8
percent heroin or other opiates.

Among all probationers, 35 percent admitted they had at least once consumed
as much as a fifth of a gallon of alcohol in one day. That's the equivalent
of 20 drinks of liquor, three six-packs of beer or three bottles of wine.

Slightly more than half of all probationers said they had been involved in
a domestic dispute while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both at
some time in their lives. Sixty-four percent admitted driving a vehicle
under the influence of either or both.

According to the most recent data, there were nearly 3.2 million adults on
probation as of Dec. 31, 1996 -- double the 1.6 million adults
incarcerated.

Probation is used as a lesser penalty than imprisonment for less serious
crimes or for criminals with no or few prior convictions. Very rarely does
a sentence in such cases include prison time, followed by probation.

Although 36.8 percent of the probationers were sentenced to some time
behind bars, this was usually a very short period, said the bureau's policy
analyst Christopher Mumola. The 31.2 percent of probationers also sentenced
to jail served an average of three months. The 5.6 percent of probationers
sentenced to prison served an average of 20 months.

The overwhelming majority of criminals who receive prison sentences are
released on parole, not on probation. Parolees were not included in the
study, which was based on interviews in 1995 with a representative national
sample of 2,000 active probationers.