Impact of drug use on inmate misconduct: A multilevel analysis

Despite the importance of drug use problems among offenders, relatively little was known about whether drug use history affected inmate behavior in prison. Using data from the 1997 survey of inmates in state facilities in the U.S., this study examined the following relationships: the effect of drug use prior to incarceration on substance rule violations per month during incarceration and the effect of drug use prior to incarceration on non-substance rule violations per month in prison. This study revealed that the variable drug use history was a significant predictor of substance rule violations per month and of non-substance rule violations per month in prison. The implications of the findings are also discussed.