Status and Role Among Narcotic Addicts: Implications for Treatment Personnel

Weppner, Robert S.

doi:10.1177/0306624x8102500305

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…that heroin use and crime co-occur because individuals who become criminals are also likely to become drug users (Elliott & Huizinga, 1984), because both activities are esteemed in local deviant subcultures , Weppner 1982, Faupel 1988, because crime and heroin use tend to occur in the same, often deprived, neighbourhoods , because heroin use and associated criminality may be a local "fashion" which appears in some areas but not in other areas (Parker & Newcombe 1987, Pearson 1987, and because the income from successful crime allows heroin users to consume large amounts of heroin (Johnson et al 1985, Collins et al 1985.…”

Section: Co-occurence Of Opiate Use and Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

Opiates, Criminal Behaviour, and Methadone Treatment

Coid¹,

Carvell²,

Kittler³

et al. 2000

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of Study 4 Opiates and Criminal Behaviour -a review of the literature 6 Criminal Behaviour in Treatment-seeking Opiate Addicts 34 Crime and Opioid Dependence: changes after entering a methadone treatment programme 59 Economic Evaluation: Does methadone treatment lead to reduced expenditures on illegal drugs and a fall in criminal earnings? 84 References 105substantially related to obtaining money for their drugs -the more crimes that they committed the more drugs they could purchase. The rate of their criminal activity was influenced, however, by previous involvement in crime, especially acquisitive offending. The criminal activities of the sample also appeared to be independently driven by both the cost of their drug habit and their previous history and experience of acquisitive crime. Overall use of heroin decreased by 50%. There was a significant reduction in expenditure on drugs, injecting behaviour, and high-risk behaviours involving sharing of syringes and needles. Expenditure showed a threefold reduction. However, there were no changes in a range of other illicit drugs misused. But there were no increases in the use of other drugs and subjects had not substituted these for heroin. There was a significant increase in legally obtained income during the treatment phase, certain subjects having found work.Burglaries and theft were reduced by a half and the impact on drug-dealing was even greater.However, there were no changes in the level of fraudulent activities, muggings, sex work, or signing on for Department of Social Security Benefits whilst simultaneously working.Treatment appeared to have had its greatest impact on those individuals who were most heavily involved in crime. This important finding did not suggest that methadone treatment is most effective with subjects who are thought to be "easy" to treat and not engaged in crime.Retention in the treatment programme was confirmed as a highly important factor, strongly and independently associated with both reduction in illicit use of opiates and reduction in criminal activities. Economic EvaluationAn economic evaluation was carried out on the effectiveness of methadone treatment on the sample of 81 subjects. Subjects who remained on methadone treatment for longer periods were found to have better outcomes over the six month follow-up period. If an opiate addict were to be maintained in methadone treatment for six months, statistical modelling predicted that expenditure on street drugs would fall by £35 per day on average over the period of the study. Based on the 95% confidence intervals from the regression equations, this would lead to an average fall in monthly criminal earnings of between £714 and £2,626 over the six months study period. The results support the view that, in the short-term, methadone treatment may be a viable policy tool for intervening in drug use and drugrelated crime.

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Section: Co-occurence Of Opiate Use and Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

Opiates, Criminal Behaviour, and Methadone Treatment

Coid¹,

Carvell²,

Kittler³

et al. 2000

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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Attitudes Toward Methadone Maintenance: Implications for HIV Prevention

Zule

Desmond

1998

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

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Attitudes of opioid users toward methadone maintenance were studied using semi-structured field interviews. One hundred and sixty-one heroin and speedball users in San Antonio, Texas, were interviewed between 1989 and 1992. Users were classified according to whether or not they had ever been on methadone maintenance. Opioid users who had never been on methadone maintenance were more likely to express a negative attitude toward methadone maintenance than users who had been on it (50% versus 30%). Sources of negative attitudes fell into the following categories: (1) general societal disapproval of addictive drugs, including methadone; (2) prior experience with 12 Step groups or abstinence-based treatment programs; (3) previous forced rapid detoxification from methadone in jail; and (4) observation of methadone maintained peers who continued to use drugs. Very few respondents reported adverse effects from methadone itself as a source of negative attitudes. Sources of positive attitudes included: (1) prior successful treatment with methadone; and (2) observation of methadone patients who stopped using drugs.

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Effects of Polydrug Use on the Criminal Activities of Heroin‐users

Hammersley

Morrison

1987

British Journal of Addiction

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SummaryWhile heroin users commit crimes, it remains unclear whether they only do so to finance their heroin habits. Many users are criminal before taking heroin, but once taking heroin their need for heroin may determine their criminal activity. Alternatively, the heroin‐crime relationship may be reciprocal, each influencing the other. From structured interviews with 28 heroin‐users, it was found that: (1) Extent of heroin use correlated with theft from strangers and burglary of businesses but not other crimes. (2) Extent of heroin use correlated with working ‘on the side’ (evading tax and/or claiming social security benefits). (3) An economic crime index was predicted by tranquillizer use with heroin use. (4) The use of some other drugs—notably alcohol and sleeping pills—correlated with some crimes. (5) Regression analyses showed a general delinquent pattern and several crimes not predicted by other variables. (6) Heroin use could be well predicted by a complex equation including the extent of use of five different drugs, but only one crime—theft from work. It is concluded that, even amongst heavy heroin users, neither heroin use nor crime adequately predict each other. The uses of other drugs, especially depressants, influenced both heroin and crime.

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Status and Role Among Narcotic Addicts: Implications for Treatment Personnel

Cited by 6 publications

References 9 publications

Opiates, Criminal Behaviour, and Methadone Treatment

Opiates, Criminal Behaviour, and Methadone Treatment

Attitudes Toward Methadone Maintenance: Implications for HIV Prevention

Effects of Polydrug Use on the Criminal Activities of Heroin‐users

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