Knowledge and Drug Abuse Among Prison Inmates

Drug abuse remains a significant public health problem worldwide and is associated with increased morbidity, criminal behavior, and social burden. Knowledge regarding narcotics and psychotropic substances is considered an important determinant in preventing substance abuse; however, evidence among prison inmates remains limited. This study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge regarding drugs and drug abuse among inmates at Trenggalek Detention Center. A quantitative correlational study with a cross-sectional approach was conducted among 15 inmates selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires assessing respondents’ knowledge regarding drugs and history of drug abuse. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondent characteristics. The relationship between knowledge and drug abuse was analyzed using Lambda and Goodman–Kruskal Tau statistics with a significance level of 0.05. Most respondents were male (100%), had completed senior high school (53.3%), worked as self-employed individuals before imprisonment (60%), and had been incarcerated for more than two years (80%). Most respondents had good knowledge of narcotics (73.3%). Lambda analysis showed no significant relationship between knowledge and drug abuse (p = 0.301). Knowledge regarding narcotics was not significantly associated with drug abuse among inmates