Detroit faces diverse alcohol and other drug-related crime problems. Drug seizures are rising in the city. While drug use continues to be widespread among arrestees in the city of Detroit, the percent of male arrestees who test positive for illegal drugs is decreasing. On the other hand, rates of marijuana use among arrestees are increasing steadily. While eight in ten prison inmates have alcohol and other drug abuse problems, treatment is available for only 6 percent of the inmates who need it.
Drug Seizures. The Detroit Police Department (DPD) works with federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, to target drug markets throughout the city. Between 1994 and 1996, the amount of drugs narcotics officers seized from local dealers more than doubled. Currently, the DPD estimates street prices at approximately $10 per bag of heroin ($20 to $40 for "black tar," which has a higher concentration of heroin), $5 to $20 for a rock of crack cocaine and $20 to $40 for the same weight of powder cocaine. Hallucinogens, such as ecstasy-which Detroit police are starting to see with more frequency-cost $20 to $30 a tablet. In 1997, southeastern Michigan (including Wayne County) was among seven national areas designated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). HIDTA programs are intended to help federal, state and local officials work together to reduce drug trafficking. Narcotics officials at DPD report that the frequency of drug-related homicide reports has greatly decreased since they began intensive anti-drug effort with HIDTA funding. In addition, the city of Detroit recently received $23 million in federal funding to expand community policing.
Drug Offenders. Michigan has the seventh largest prison population in the United States, with 43,784 inmates in 1997. Statewide prison admissions for drug offenses declined by more than 31 percent between 1990 and 1997. Drug offenders comprise about 13 percent of the state prison population compared to 23 percent nationally. The Michigan Department of Corrections attributes this difference to its emphasis on diversion of drug offenders to non-prison based punishment and treatment, including drug courts.
Drinking and Driving. Michigan's legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level is .10; a few states have adopted the lower .08 level. Operating Under the Influence of Liquor (OUIL) arrests are declining in Michigan as they are nationally. However, DPD made 2,301 OUIL arrests in 1997, an increase of 30 percent since 1995. Some criminal justice experts speculate that the increase in Detroit reflects increased law enforcement attention as well as high levels of commuter traffic.
The Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Michigan Department of State Police estimate that traffic accidents in Michigan cost $179,000 per crash, including fatalities, personal injuries and property damage. In 1997, there were 1,377 alcohol-related accidents in Detroit which generated total costs of approximately $247 million. III. Crime and Substance Abuse 15 Gratiot Avenue Drinking and driving is also a problem among teenagers. In 1997, 17 percent of Detroit 12th graders reported driving after drinking during the preceding month; 46 percent said they had been in a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking. Information regarding juvenile OUIL arrests in Detroit is unavailable.
In 1996, Michigan earned a grade of ?B minus? in a report card produced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). MADD's evaluation of Michigan highlighted strengths in alcohol assessment training for judges and prosecutors, zero tolerance laws and OUIL legislation. OUIL offenders in Michigan must participate in county alcohol and other drug education and awareness programs. However, MADD called for more OUIL enforcement officers as well as more training of Liquor Control Commission officers. While MADD commended Michigan for its stringent OUIL laws, it also recommended more OUIL program funding, including earmarking of alcoholic beverage taxes.
Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) is also heavily involved in efforts to combat drinking and driving. SADD promotes alternatives to alcohol and other drug use for students through an annual SADD conference; local radio, television, news-paper and billboard messages aimed at students; and regional leadership and training seminars. There are 590 high school SADD chapters in Michigan, 17 of which are in Detroit.
Substance Abuse By Arrestees. Illegal drug use is widespread among arrestees nationwide, including two-thirds of those in the city of Detroit. According to the 1997 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program (previously Drug Use Forecasting), drug use among adult males arrested in Detroit declined slightly from 66 percent in 1996 to 62 percent in 1997; the rate for women (69 percent) exceeded the rate for men both years.
Cocaine and marijuana are the drugs most commonly used by arrestees. However, from 1992 to 1997, positive cocaine tests declined by 38 percent among men and by 22 percent among women. Older arrestees are much more likely to test positive for cocaine than their younger counterparts, suggesting that the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s is waning. Positive hero-in tests among female arrestees have recently declined, with 18 percent of women testing positive for heroin in 1996 compared to 9 percent in 1997. More female arrestees are testing positive for marijuana, with rates jumping from 19 percent in 1996 to 28 percent in 1997. Positive test rates for marijuana and heroin use among males declined slightly between 1996 and 1997. Data on alcohol and other drug use among juvenile arrestees in the city of Detroit come from the 1995 Substance Abuse and Need for Treatment Among Arrestees (SANTA) study. Michigan was one of 15 states to participate in this project. In 1995, almost half of juvenile arrestees in Wayne County tested positive for illegal drug use; most had used marijuana.
Treatment for Criminals. In 1995, Detroit was selected as one of ten Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Target Cities. Federal Target Cities funding has allowed Detroit's Bureau of Substance Abuse to increase treatment for criminal offenders, improve effectiveness through case management and follow-up services, link existing treatment and social services and develop treatment programs for offenders in jail and in the community. An evaluation of the Target Cities program will be released in 2000.
In 1998, Wayne County's criminal justice budget totaled $200 million-the highest county criminal justice bud-get in the state. More than 80 percent of inmates in Wayne County have alcohol and other drug abuse problems; their incarceration costs approximately $52 million a year.
Treatment is available for only 6 percent of the inmates who need it. In addition to 100 treatment slots in Wayne County jails, volunteers coordinate 12-step programs which serve another 200 to 300 inmates. The Wayne County Community Justice Department and the People's Community Services work jointly with the Sheriff's Department to seek funding for treatment which is not provided by the county government. In 1998, this partnership acquired $400,000 through local and state organizations to fund treatment for jail inmates.
At the state level, treating inmates with alcohol and other drug abuse problems has become a priority. The U.S. Department of Justice has identified the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Strategy as one of the most advanced in the country. MDOC provides services according to the severity of drug use; programs include residential and outpatient treatment, education, treatment readiness and 12-step programs.
In 1997, 1,281 juveniles admitted to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility were tested for illicit drug use; 51 percent tested positive for marijuana and 2 percent tested positive for cocaine use. The annual cost of detaining these juvenile drug users is estimated to be $10 million.
Drug Courts. Drug courts, which refer non-violent drug abusing offenders to intensive court-supervised treatment, offer alternatives to incarceration and traditional probation. Detroit's first drug court opened in December 1997 in the city's 3rd District Court with funding from other municipal court divisions. By July 1998, there were 160 participants in the program which is open to individuals with no felony record. Planning for a second drug court is currently underway in Detroit's 36th District Court. Although outcome statistics for Detroit's drug court have not been released, recidivism rates among drug court graduates in other major metropolitan areas are about half the rates of untreated offenders. $52 Million $11 Million Wayne County Department of Community Justice, 1997 Wayne County Inmates Needing Treatment Other Wayne County Inmates Addicts Account For Bulk of Corrections Costs
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