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TO: MAYOR AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A review of survey and research material was conducted to determine the correlation regarding drug use and its relationship to the commission of crime. While there is no available research data for the City of Little Rock, there are a number of national studies that have been conducted from which inferences can be made. In addition, staff also looked at specific arrest data for Little Rock to determine if any correlations could be drawn.

An overview of available research material generally supports the idea that drug-related offenses and drug-using lifestyles can be major contributors to the U.S. crime problem. Researchers have found direct and indirect connections in the use of illicit drugs to crime. Drug offenders were more likely to commit crimes that would enable them to buy drugs. Their addiction and an increased physical tolerance to drugs may drive many users to commit crimes to support their habit. Drug use can negatively affect a user’s behavior by lowering his inhibitions and impairing judgment which may increase the likelihood of the person’s committing crimes.

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Drug Abuse survey determined that illicit drug users were about sixteen (16) times more likely than nonusers to report being arrested for larceny or theft, and more than nine (9) times more likely to be arrested for assault. Another dimension of drug-related crime is committing an offense to obtain money or goods to support drug use. A joint survey of Federal and State prison inmates revealed nineteen (19) percent of State prisoners and sixteen (16) percent of Federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs.

A recent study by the Washington D.C. Bureau of Justice Statistics determined that thirty-three (33) percent of state prisoners reported committing their current offense while under the influence of drugs and that nineteen (19) percent of state prisoners committed a crime so they could purchase drugs. This data came from prisoner surveys.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Survey of Inmates in State and Federal correctional facilities, which is conducted every five (5) to six (6) years with a representative sample of State and Federal inmates, provides information on drug use histories of inmate populations. The most recent surveys were conducted in 1991 and 1997. Using the results of the BJS surveys, Table 1 shows that in 1997, almost three-quarters of Federal inmates reported having used drugs as compared with approximately 60% in 1991. While the percentage of Federal inmates who had ever used drugs was lower than that of State inmates, the gap narrowed between 1991 and 1997. This is because the percentage of inmates using drugs increased more among Federal inmates than among State inmates, 12.8% and 3.6% respectively. Other indicators of previous drug use — regular use of drugs (that is, use at least once per week for at least one (1) month), use in the month before arrest, and use at the time of offense — also confirmed higher rates of drug use among State inmates than among Federal inmates. For example, 57.3% of Federal inmates reported having used drugs regularly in the past as compared with 69.6% of State inmates. In addition, 44.8% of Federal inmates used drugs in the month before arrest as compared with 56% of State inmates.

A study in selected metropolitan cities funded by the National Justice Institute in 2000, determined the following for male arrestees testing positive for illicit drug use:

The methodology used for the ADAM program charts consists of:

Administering a short interview, which is approximately thirty (30) minutes in length, and collecting a recent urine specimen for the past forty-eight (48) hours from arrestees. The interview is delivered under terms of strict confidentiality pursuant to Federal regulations. The interview process cannot be linked to the person's name and cannot be used for or against the person during booking or adjudication.

Interviewing shifts typically occur over an eight (8) hour period every day for a one (1) to two (2) week period. Data collection takes place four (4) times a year (once each calendar quarter) in each site on a staggered schedule, with collection periods for any single population (adult males or females) generally lasting one (1) to two (2) consecutive weeks. Data collections for the different populations and facilities do not necessarily run concurrently. In most sites, more than eighty-five (85) percent of the individuals approached agree to be interviewed. Of the eighty-five (85) percent who agree to the interview, more than eighty-five (85) percent agree to give a urine sample.  

Another approach that was utilized to determine if and how drug use may contribute to crime within the City of Little Rock was to compile arrest statistics for the last six (6) months of 2003, and determine the number of persons arrested that correlate with an arrest for a drug offense. These numbers reveal:

The above indicated totals are mutually exclusive of each other and when added together reflect that thirteen (13) percent of persons arrested were also charged with a drug offense at the time of their arrest in the last six months of 2003. What these figures do not tell us are the number of persons that committed their crime to support a drug habit or because they were under the influence. This would be impossible to determine without using a methodology similar to the federally funded Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM) previously sited in which offenders were drug tested at the time of arrest. Since Little Rock does not drug test all arrestees, staff has no direct empirical data to show how drug use may contribute to crime in Little Rock.

In conclusion, just looking at arrest data is only a small piece of a larger picture when trying to define how drug use may contribute to crime within the City of Little Rock. It is a difficult question to answer without having urine test or survey data on all Little Rock arrestees. The Pulaski County Detention Center does not conduct surveys or do urine tests to determine drug use when a person is detained at their facility. However, research makes it abundantly clear that there is a nexus between drugs, violence, and crime all across America.

If additional information is needed, please advise.