Measuring alcohol and drug dependence with New York City ADAM data

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program collects self-report survey information and urine specimens from adult arrestees in 35 cities nationwide. In 2000, a new survey instrument was fielded that includes questions about alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse and dependence. Despite high levels of drug use among national arrestee populations, no studies have examined need for AOD treatment among ADAM arrestees. To address this limitation, a secondary analysis was undertaken with New York City ADAM data collected in 2000. Thirty-seven percent of the arrestees were diagnosed in need of drug treatment, while 19% were diagnosed in need of alcohol treatment. Compared to those arrestees who were diagnosed as not needing AOD treatment, arrestees who met the criteria for ADAM abuse/dependence were more likely to be male, older, and to have tested positive by urinalysis for at least one illicit drug. Because "need for treatment" was operationalized as a diagnosis of abuse or dependence, the current results should be viewed as liberal estimates of treatment need. Implications for the delivery of drug treatment to criminal populations are discussed.