Substance use and underlying substance use disorders account for a plurality, if not the majority, of an increasing burden on the U.S. criminal justice system. In 2002, 75% of convicted drug offenders met substance dependence or abuse criteria, and 25% of drug offenders reported committing their crime in order to get money for drugs.(Mumola and Karberg 2006) African-Americans are dramatically over-represented among this segment of the criminal justice population, as well. In 2002, 43% of felons convicted of drug offenses were African-American.(Durose and Langan 2004)
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Twenty-four percent of African-American inmates in state prisons were incarcerated for drug offenses, markedly higher than rates for Caucasian inmates (14%). This disproportion persists despite similar rates of illicit drug use among whites and African- Americans. The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found rates of substance abuse and dependence which were virtually indistinguishable at 9.3 and 9.5 percent respectively. Rates of past month use were marginally higher for African- Americans (9.7%) than for whites (8.4%), but certainly not to an extent that explains the dramatic differences in corrections involvement for drug- related offenses.(SAMHSA 2007)
TEXT FROM: NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV
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