Substance use patterns of men offenders: an ethnocultural comparison
Research Highlights: Indigenous and White offenders have greater substance use needs than other ethnocultural groups.
Publication
No RIB-20-04
December 2020
Reserch in Brief - PDF
Why we did this study
The Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) offender population has seen a proportional increase and diversification of ethnocultural groups since 2000.Footnote 1 In addition, close to 70% of incarcerated men were identified as having substance use issuesFootnote 2, underscoring the importance of exploring the substance use patterns of offenders from various ethnocultural backgrounds.
What we did
The Computerized Assessment of Substance Abuse (CASA) assesses substance use patterns at admission to federal custody. Between April 2016 and March 2019 4,982 men offenders were assessed. Substance use indicators were compared across the following ethnocultural groups: White, Indigenous, Black, Arab, Southeast Asian, Latin American, South Asian, other Asian, Filipino, and OtherFootnote 3.
What we found
Other ethnocultural groups demonstrate lower substance use severity than White or Indigenous offenders (see Table); Black, Arab, and South Asian offenders were least likely to have an identified substance use issue.
Examination of other substance use indicators show that:
- Early drug or alcohol use (15 years or younger) was most common for White and Indigenous offenders.
- Alcohol and marijuana were most likely to be used by all study groups in the 12 months prior to arrest. Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulants were more likely used by Filipino or Indigenous offenders while Indigenous and White offenders were more likely to report cocaine/crack or opioid use. Filipino offenders had comparable rates of cocaine/crack use as Indigenous and White offenders.
- Black, South Asian, Filipino, and Other Asian offenders were less likely to have a history of injection drug use.
- Black, Filipino, and Other Asian offenders were also less likely to have a link between their substance use and criminal offending or to have used opioids in the 12 months prior to arrest.
| Characteristic | White | Indigenouse | Black | Abrab | Southeast Asian | Latin American | South Asian | Filipino | Other Asian | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Substance Use Severity | ||||||||||
| None | 22 | 8 | 40 | 47 | 32 | 37 | 39 | 26 | 38 | 29 |
| Low | 38 | 32 | 47 | 30 | 39 | 46 | 44 | 63 | 56 | 40 |
| Moderate to Severe | 40 | 60 | 13 | 23 | 29 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 32 |
| Early alcohol use (15 years or less) |
50 | 70 | 24 | 23 | 27 | 34 | 23 | 22 | 7 | 39 |
| Early drug use (15 years or less) |
48 | 63 | 29 | 27 | 17 | 38 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 35 |
| Substance Used Most-12 months prior arrest | ||||||||||
| Alcohol | 27 | 19 | 35 | 22 | 23 | 37 | 32 | 37 | 56 | 29 |
| CNS Stimulants | 10 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Cocaine/Crack | 12 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Marijuana | 23 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 31 | 26 | 11 | 13 | 23 |
| Opioids | 10 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| History of Injection Drug Use | 19 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Link betweeen substance use and offending | 44 | 62 | 19 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 1 | 13 | 38 |
What it means
CASA data demonstrates that Indigenous and White offenders have higher rates of substance use issues compared to other ethnocultural offenders. Understanding the substance use patterns of other ethnocultural offenders, such as Black, Filipino, or Other Asian offenders, can inform CSC‘s management and intervention strategies to address offenders’ substance use needs during incarceration and upon community reintegration.
For more information
Please e-mail the Research Branch or contact us by phone at (613) 995-3975.
You can also visit the Research Publications section for a full list of reports and one-page summaries.
Prepared by: Sophia Garrel & Shanna Farrell MacDonald