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.