Survey finds illegal drugs involved in many crimes

The Justice Department said a survey of 12,000 state prison inmates showed about one third of them were under the influence of an illegal drug when they committed the crime for which they were sentenced.

More than half of the inmates said they took illegal drugs during the month before they committed the crime and 78 percent reported using drugs at some time in their lives. This compared with an estimated 40 per cent of the non-prison population. President Reagan has mounted a major campaign against organized crime and drugs, charging that narcotics were largely responsible for violent crimes.