Substance use disorders among men in prison: a New Zealand study

Objective: This study set out to determine the extent of alcohol and drug disorder among male prisoners prior to their incarceration in a New Zealand prison. Method: Sections of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule that assess alcohol and drug disorders according to DSM-III criteria were administered to 100 sequential new arrivals at a male medium/minimum security prison. Results: Eighty-one percent of the prisoners had a lifetime alcohol disorder, and 39% of them had symptoms in the 6 months prior to incarceration. Half of the prisoners had met criteria for an alcohol-dependence syndrome. Thirty percent had a lifetime drug use disorder with 14% showing symptoms in the last 6 months prior to incarceration. One-quarter had been drug dependent. After adjustment of the lifetime prevalence estimates for the differing age distribution within the prison, alcohol:disorder was more than twice as common among prisoners as in the general population, and drug use disorder was eight times as common. Conclusions: Since high rates of alcohol and drug disorder are found among sentenced prisoners, both in the 6 months prior to incarceration and over their lifetime, resources within the prison may need to be directed towards minimising the harm from substance use disorder and associated risk behaviour.