ALCOHOL, DRUGS TIED TO CRIMES, US REPORT SAYS

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

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 drug use. Among probationers,
40 percent had consumed alcohol when they committed their crimes and 14
percent used drugs. Probationers who used alcohol and drugs are counted in
the separate alcohol and drug percentages, which accounts for those figures
totaling more than the combined percentage. The number of probationers
consuming alcohol at the time of their offense was comparable to that of
inmates, 41 percent, but higher than that of state prisoners, 32 percent.

Drug use by probationers during their crime was far below the figures for
jail inmates, 32 percent, or state prisoners, 36 percent. The most common
drug was marijuana. Among all probationers, 67 percent said they had used
marijuana or hashish at least once; 31 percent had used crack or other
forms of cocaine.