Source: Associated Press Author: Michael J. Sniffen Pubdate: Sun, 22 Mar 98 PROBATIONERS SURVEYED ON DRUG USE WASHINGTON (AP) - Almost half the men and women on probation in the United States were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed their crimes, the Justice Department said Sunday. The first national survey of probationers, conducted for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, found that 46.8 percent of probationers had used either alcohol, drugs or both at the time of their offense. This was lower than use among incarcerated criminals at the time of their offenses. Among jail inmates, 60 percent had used alcohol, drugs or both when they committed their crimes; among state prison inmates, the figure was 49 percent. Alcohol consumption was more prevalent than use of illegal drugs. Among probationers, 40 percent had consumed alcohol when they committed their crimes and 14 percent used drugs. Probationers who used alcohol along with drugs are counted in both the separate alcohol and drug percentages, which accounts for those two figures totaling more than the combined percentage. The number of probationers consuming alcohol at the time of their offense was comparable to that of jail inmates, 41 percent, but higher than that of state prisoners, 32 percent. But drug use by probationers during their crime was far below the figures for jail inmates, 32 percent, or state prisoners, 36 percent. The most commonly used drug was marijuana. Among all probationers, 67 percent said they had used marijuana or hashish at least once in their lives, 31 percent had used crack or other forms of cocaine, 25 percent had taken stimulants, 20 percent hallucinogens, 15 percent barbiturates and 8 percent heroin or other opiates. Among all probationers, 35 percent admitted they had at least once consumed as much as a fifth of a gallon of alcohol in one day. That's the equivalent of 20 drinks of liquor, three six-packs of beer or three bottles of wine. Slightly more than half of all probationers said they had been involved in a domestic dispute while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both at some time in their lives. Sixty-four percent admitted driving a vehicle under the influence of either or both. According to the most recent data, there were nearly 3.2 million adults on probation as of Dec. 31, 1996 - double the 1.6 million adults incarcerated. Probation is used as a lesser penalty than imprisonment, for less serious crimes or criminals with no or few prior convictions. Very rarely does a sentence in such cases include prison time, followed by probation. Although 36.8 percent of the probationers were sentenced to some time behind bars, this was usually a very short period, said the bureau's policy analyst Christopher J. Mumola. The 31.2 percent of probationers also sentenced to jail served an average of three months. The 5.6 percent of probationers sentenced to prison served an average of 20 months. The overwhelming majority of criminals who receive prison sentences are released on parole, not on probation. Parolees were not included in the study, which was based on interviews in 1995 with a representative national sample of 2,000 active probationers. Copyright 1997 The Associated Press.