Men Offenders’ Substance Use Patterns: An Ethnocultural Comparison over Time (2006 to 2019)
Research Highlights: Research Highlights: CNS stimulant use increased among all ethnocultural groups, except Black offenders, and IDU increased among Other ethnocultural offenders.
Why we did this study
Indigenous and White offenders have greater substance use needs than other ethnocultural groups.Footnote 1 Substance use patterns change over time,Footnote 2 therefore, this study was conducted to explore the substance use patterns of ethnocultural men offenders over time.
Publication
RIB-20-08
2022
Research in Brief - PDF
Men Offenders’ Substance Use Patterns: An Ethnocultural Comparison over Time (2006 to 2019)
What we did
Pre-incarceration substance use patterns of federal men offenders are assessed by the Computerized Assessment of Substance Abuse for men (M-CASA) upon admission into custody. Between January 2006 and March 2019,Footnote 3 a total of 34,202 men offenders were assessed and categorized into ethnocultural groups: White (63%; n = 21,405), Indigenous (18%; n = 6,154), Black (10%; n = 3,517), and Other ethnocultural groups (9%; n = 3,126).Footnote 4 Year of assessment was categorized into two-year increments for analysis.
What we found
Offenders indicating lifetime drug use increased across all study groups; the greatest increase was in the Other group (21%, from 42% to 63%), followed by Indigenous (20%, from 71% to 91%), White (16%; from 63% to 79%), and Black offenders (12%; from 39% to 51%). Lifetime alcohol use decreased slightly among Black offenders and offenders in the other group by 4% (both from 91% to 87%). White and Indigenous offenders’ lifetime alcohol use remained constant over the study period.
Across all ethnocultural groups, poly-substance use (using multiple substances in one day) increased over time. White offenders reported the largest increase (22%, from 34% to 56%), followed by Indigenous offenders (15%, from 45% to 60%), Other ethnocultural groups (11%, from 17% to 28%), and Black offenders (10%, from 13% to 23%).
Indigenous and White offenders reported a 6% decrease of injection drug use (IDU) (from 31% to 25% and from 26% to 20%, respectively). Reports of IDU among Black offenders also decreased by 2% (from 4% to 2%) but increased by 5% (from 2% to 7%) among the Other group.
All groups reported a decrease in using substances while incarcerated; White and Indigenous offenders reported the largest decreases to 20% and 31%, respectively.
Across all ethnocultural groups, cannabis has been the most used drug over time and cocaine/crack has been the second most used drug (see Table). Central nervous system (CNS) stimulant use has increased, particularly for Indigenous and Other ethnocultural offenders.
| Ethnocultural Group | Time Periods | |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-2007 | 2018-2019 | |
| Black | Cannabis (30%) Cocaine/crack (3%) CNS stimulants (2%) |
Cannabis (25%) Cocaine/crack (5%) Opioids (2%) |
| Indigenous | Cannabis (50%) Cocaine/crack (12%) Opioids (2%) |
Cannabis (26%) Cocaine/crack (12%) CNS stimulants (17%) |
| White | Cannabis (26%) Cocaine/crack (24%) Opioids (10%) |
Cannabis (22%) Cocaine/crack (12%) Opioids and CNS stimulants (both 11%) |
| Other Ethnocultural groups | Cannabis (27%) Cocaine/crack (15%) CNS stimulants and opioids (both 4%) |
Cannabis (24%) CNS stimulants and cocaine/crack (both 7%) Opioids (6%) |
What it means
These results demonstrate that substance use patterns have changed over time for all ethnocultural groups, specifically increases in lifetime drug use and poly-substance use. However, there are a few unique patterns across ethnocultural groups, such as the increased use of CNS stimulants among Indigenous offenders and increase of IDU among the Other group.
For more information
For questions and/or more information, please email the Research Branch. You can also visit the Research Publications section for a full list of reports and one-page summaries.
Prepared by: Sarah Cram and Shanna Farrell MacDonald
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