50% of Jailed Scots Were Drunk While Committing Their Crime
Half of Scots in the country’s prison system were drunk when they committed their crime – survey shows that alcohol use by prisoners is up substantially from only 4 years ago.
The Scottish Prison Services’ annual survey of inmates reveals that in 2009, half of all inmates were intoxicated during the commission of their jail-able crime – a figure that is up substantially from the 40% who admitted the same only 4 years ago, in 2005.
Other findings from the survey include:
- 42% of prisoners said they wanted to reduce their alcohol consumption (up from 34% in 2005)
- 37% of prisoners said they felt guilty about their alcohol habits (up from 29% in 2005)
- 43% of prisoners said they needed a drink first thing in the morning (up from 31% in 2005)
- 22% admitted to having used drugs (in prison) within a month of being asked – this is down substantially from the 38% in 2005
- 18% said they were afraid for their safety while behind bars
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