NCJ Number
104002
Date Published
1973
Length
120 pages
Annotation
Two reports analyze changes over time in the behavior of addicts in a methadone maintenance treatment program operated by the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC) in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of New York City.
Abstract
The first report examines the criminal behavior of the first 416 addicts admitted to ARTC before and during their addiction and for 1 year after they entered the program. This study found a 21-percent decline in the overall crime rate of the sample after 1 year from the date of admission. This decline was predominantly influenced by the decrease in charges related to the purchase, sale, or possession of drugs and to a lesser degree by decreases in property offenses and prostitution. Researchers also studied differences in responses to treatment and their relationship to crime. The second paper addresses the medication patterns, methadone dosages, and morphine detection among the first 764 patients accepted in the ARTC program and provides data on their criminal activities. This study found a steady decline in heroin use and a modest decline in criminal activity. There was no elimination of drug use nor of criminal activity. Tables and references.