title: A comparison of two methods for examining inmates' self-reported drug use.
abstract: This article examines the reliability of prison inmates' self-reported drug use. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. A number of steps were taken to increase the validity of self-reports. Results indicate that self-reported drug use is reliable although inmates were slightly more likely to admit to using drugs on a self-administered questionnaire than during face-to-face interviews. The study's limitations and implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-2208.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McElrath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs