2 - Research Methods

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) program was based on surveys of arrestees currently held for official processing, typically in relation to a suspected offense, in police custody suites in England and Wales. The research methods were similar to those used in the early version of the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program in the United States and in other International Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (I-ADAM) programs. The main methods of data collection were structured face-to-face interviews and collection of urine specimens suitable for urinalysis.

It should be noted that the main features of the research design were outlined in the specifications for the research prepared by the Home Office. Some of these criteria emerged from the experience gained during the two developmental stages of the research. Other criteria, such as the overall budget and scale of the research, were determined from the outset by the Home Office based on financial and policy considerations. Hence, the final research design comprised a combination of elements generated by the Home Office and the research team.

SAMPLES

Sampling method

The NEW-ADAM surveys used two-stage sampling. In the first stage, 16 sites were selected using a method of ‘purposive’ sampling of custody suites. In the second stage, approximately 210 arrestees were interviewed in each site. The decision to include 16 first-stage sampling points and 210 second-stage cases was influenced in part by practical aspects of conducting the research. These are discussed in more detail later in the chapter.