The Wire

…if you had the choice would you rather be in jail, or on methodone, living in the community? A recent study commissioned after the New South Wales Drug Summit, shows that methadone can reduce crime. The study conducted by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, investigated the court appearance records of more than 11 thousand people on the New South Wales public methadone program over 12 months. Those in the study were on public programs which provide free methodone. There are currently 14,000 people on the public methadone program, compared with 12,600 before the NSW Drug Summit in 1999. The director of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, says the study has provided the first conclusive evidence in Australia, that methadone can control crime, and furthermore, it justifies the need for such programs like the Drug Court.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
The Report: The Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance in Controlling Crime