Sentenced prisoners must, by law, be the subject of treatment planning within 3 weeks of reception into prison. Special attention must be given to identifying misuse of drugs or alcohol. So far as drug misuse is concerned, prisoners are classified by the treatment boards as serious drug misusers, drug misusers, or non-users. Classifications are sent to the research group at the central administration for subsequent analysis. Of nearly 8,000 receptions with sentences of more than 2 months imprisonment, 45 percent were classified as drug misusers. The corresponding proportion for those with sentences of up to 2 months -- 6,220 persons -- was 14 percent. For all prisons and all prisoners, the total proportion of classified drug misusers was 31 percent. So far as prisoners serving sentences of up to 2 months are concerned, there has been a substantial reduction the number -- just over 1,100 persons -- by comparison with the preceding year. 5 diagrams and 9 tables