Crystal Meth Abuse.pdf

This study is based on 94,678 offenders in federal prison at fiscal yearend 2012 who were sentenced on a new U.S. district court commitment and whose most serious offense was a drug offense. Almost all (99.5%) drug offenders in federal prison were serving sentences for drug trafficking. Cocaine (powder or crack) was the primary drug type for more than half (54%) of drug offenders in federal prison. The race of drug offenders varied greatly by drug type, with Blacks being 88% of crack cocaine offenders, Hispanics or Latinos being 54% of powder cocaine offenders, and whites being 48% of methamphetamine offenders. More than a third (35%) of drug offenders in federal prison at sentencing had either no or minimal criminal history, and nearly a quarter (24%) of drug offenders used a weapon in their most recent offense. The average prison sentence for federal drug offenders was more than 11 years. Across all drug types, crack cocaine offenders were most likely to have extensive criminal histories (40%), use a weapon (32%), and receive longer prison terms (170 months).