Expanding Access to Addiction Treatment As a Crime Reduction Strategy

Problem:

Many drugs can be criminogenic, either because they increase impulsiveness and aggressiveness when consumed, or because they increase crimes intended to provide money for the drugs, such as theft, prostitution, and drug dealing.

The majority of people who are incarcerated have a substance use disorder, and many were under the influence when they committed the crimes for which they were sentenced.

Addiction treatment provided in prison without follow-up care upon release does not generally produce significant or enduring benefits.

Solutions:

• Over two years after entering drug treatment, individuals’ rates of drug-related and acquisitive crime fall by over 50%, according to a study published in 2004. 

• Providing FDA-approved medication to opioid-addicted individuals during and after incarceration reduces illicit drug use (e.g., heroin), needle sharing, and overdose risk.

   

Conclusion:

Crime reduction strategies often focus solely on policing and incarceration, but expansion of addiction treatment within the criminal justice system and the community deserves consideration as another approach to protecting public safety and improving health.
 

Key Policy Evidence:

• Crime reductions are particularly large for heroin-addicted individuals who receive opioid substitution therapy, according to a 1996 study. In this research, sixteen male prisoners were randomly assigned to methadone maintenance treatment upon release, and another sixteen were not. None of the individuals receiving treatment returned to daily heroin use, while all those in the control group did. 
• Individuals entering therapeutic communities upon leaving prison have 50% longer time to re-incarceration than do untreated individuals.