Pathways of Substance Use Among Female and Male Inmates in Canadian Federal Settings

Abstract

This article presents a comparative study of 317 male and 176 female Canadian penitentiary inmates and considers the impact of incarceration on their substance use pathways. Ten men’s and 5 women’s penitentiaries were visited across Canada as part of two successive studies. The 493 respondents completed a questionnaire on their substance use habits before and during incarceration. Substance use before incarceration is important for female and male inmates. The consumption of alcohol and drugs during incarceration is significantly higher among men than women. The results also show that length of incarceration, security level, preincarceration drug use, and prior regular drug use are risk factors associated with substance use during incarceration.