Table 13.
Self-Reported Alcohol Use and Abuse Among State Prisoners, 1997
| Inmates’ Personal Characteristics | State Prison Inmates’ Self-Reported Alcohol Use | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Estimated Number of Prisoners (n) | Ever Had a Binge-Drinking* Experience (%) | Committed Offense Under Alcohol Influence (%) | Had Three or More Positive CAGE** Responses (%) | |
| All State prisoners | 1,059,607 | 41.0 | 37.2 | 24.4 |
| Male | 993,365 | 41.8 | 37.7 | 24.5 |
| Female | 66,242 | 29.9 | 29.1 | 23.4 |
| Race/Hispanic origin | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 352,864 | 53.5 | 42.7 | 33.5 |
| Non-Hispanic black | 492,676 | 31.9 | 33.0 | 18.6 |
| Hispanic | 179,998 | 39.9 | 36.7 | 22.0 |
| Other | 34,069 | 49.6 | 41.7 | 27.7 |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 24 or younger | 209,343 | 40.2 | 30.7 | 15.8 |
| 25–34 | 404,034 | 42.3 | 37.7 | 24.8 |
| 35–44 | 311,999 | 42.3 | 41.3 | 28.6 |
| 45–54 | 103,470 | 37.4 | 37.7 | 28.5 |
| 55 or older | 30,761 | 29.3 | 30.2 | 22.5 |
*
Binge drinking is defined as having consumed in 1 day as much as one-fifth of liquor, equivalent to 20 drinks, 3 bottles of wine, or 3 six-packs of beer.
**
The CAGE questionnaire (Ewing 1984) is a screening instrument for detecting a person’s history of alcohol abuse or dependence.
SOURCE: Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities, 1997.