NCJ Number
198937
Journal
Journal of Maintenance in the Addictions Volume: 2 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2003 Pages: 129-149
Date Published
2003
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study examined the positive monetary returns from investments in longer term methadone treatment for opioid users who participated in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies (DATOS) sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Abstract
The study focused on crime-cost savings for discharged patients (patients who left their index DATOS treatment program before completing 1 year of treatment) and continuing patients (those who continued in treatment for 1 year or longer). The study hypothesized that methadone treatment would produce greater tangible crime-cost savings during treatment and at follow-up for continuing patients than for discharged patients. Subjects were 394 methadone patients from 8 medium-size to large cities and 16 programs; 37 percent of the patients were women. Subject samples were monitored and interviewed 12 months after discharged from their index program or 24 months after admission if they continued in treatment when the follow-up phase began. Data were analyzed to estimate the cost of treatment, cost of crime to society before and during treatment and at follow-up, reductions in crime, benefits from reductions in crime, cost-benefit ratios, and net benefits. The findings supported the hypothesis in determining that greater lengths of stay in treatment were associated with greater crime-cost savings; however, methadone treatment provided significant returns on treatment investments for both discharged and continuing patients. These findings challenge the wisdom of cost-containment and ideological practices that oppose methadone maintenance and longer lengths of stay in treatment. 6 tables and 38 references