Pubdate: Mon, 18 Jun 2007
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Copyright: 2007 Herald and Weekly Times
Contact:  http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/187
Author: Susanna Dunkerley

HALF OF PRISONERS TEST POSITIVE FOR POT

MORE than 50 per cent of Australia's prisoners tested  positive to
cannabis over the past year, a new report  has found.

The Australian Institute of Criminology today released  two
comprehensive reports focusing on drug use and  intimate relationship
violence among prison detainees.

The data was collected from more than 4500 people in  police custody
at nine sites across the nation.

The data was taken from voluntary questionnaires filled  out by the
police detainees, 70 per cent of whom also  provided urine tests.

The report showed that drug use and intimate  relationship violence
was high among detainees.

More than 50 per cent tested positive for cannabis,  nearly a quarter
tested positive to methamphetamines,  and around eight per cent to
heroin.

Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology  Toni Makkai said
the figures showed that  methamphetamine use among detainees had grown
since  data was first collected in 1999.

"What we have seen is that heroin use has gone down ...  however, we
did see methamphetamine going up from 1999  through to 2003 however it
has remained relatively  stable at this level."

Of the people that took part in the questionnaire, half  had been
arrested in the past 12 months and 18 per cent  had been in prison in
the past 12 months.

More than two thirds were receiving government benefits  and the
majority, 84 per cent were male.

Justice Minister David Johnston said the statistics  showed that there
is a strong correlation between crime  and substance abuse.

"This is a first for Australia to be able to look at  ... what they've
(people in police custody) been taking  and what they say about drug
abuse," he said.

"The Government's policies, with respect to drug and  substance abuse,
have to some large extent ... been  vindicated when looking at this
hard data."

The report also found that the level of inmate partner  violence was
almost 50 per cent higher than the general  population.
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MAP posted-by: Derek