Criminality and Addiction

Abstract

The criminal activity of samples of 112 dropouts and 110 active patients from a methadone maintenance program was studied. Certain refinements in the categorization of dropouts and in the calculation of crime rates were proposed. The highest rates for property offenses were among the court cases included in the sample of active patients, followed by the dropouts in institutions at the time of the interviews and the dropouts who went to other methadone programs. Methadone alone, without adequate supportive services, will not solve the crime problem and may even exacerbate it, at least for some groups of heroin addicts. The need to monitor, alter and improve treatment programs was emphasized.