I. Substance Abusing Offenders

As many as 80 percent of offenders have a history of substance abuse, and nearly 50 percent are considered current "drug-abusing" offenders. This mirrors the general population, where 80 percent have had some use of illegal substances.

One legal definition of a drug offender is, "All offenders with conditions mandating drug testing or treatment, and any offender by virtue of a positive urinalysis or selfadmission." Behaviorally, a drug offender is generally someone whose cravings drive them to use drugs despite the negative consequences. The frequency and intensity of the cravings, and the degree to which the normal everyday activities of the offender are devoted to these cravings, indicates the severity of the addiction problem. Tolerance, or the amount of drug used each day or week in order to achieve the desired "high," indicates the severity of the problem. Addicts can generally be identified as those offenders who continue to use habitually and suffer withdrawal when they stop using.