In this study, researchers compared recidivism rates of individuals initially arrested for gun charges with individuals arrested for other offenses. The researchers also used state criminal history records, state prison records, and death certificates to follow individuals for 10 years after their first firearm arrest. Findings offer relevant insights into first-time, firearm-involved arrestees, their recidivism patterns, and mortality rates, and inform policy and practice on the issue of guns and violence.

Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM) is a federally-funded research program that collects information on drug use from juvenile and adult arrestees booked into detention or jail. Data collected by the program showed 75 percent of adult male arrestees in a Chicago sample tested positive for illicit drugs in 2013, which is more than the 60 percent collectively testing positive in 10 other ADAM programs across the country. The majority of Chicago arrestees tested positive for marijuana (56 percent), while 18 percent tested positive for cocaine, 14 percent tested positive for opiates, and less than 1 percent tested positive for methamphetamine.