There is a well-established link between substance abuse and criminal behavior. Society spends huge amounts of money, time, and effort on this problem and urgently seeks information that will help alleviate it. NTIES adds important information to the literature which suggests that substance abuse treatment can play a major role in crime reduction. NTIES respondents reported significant decreases in multiple indicators of criminal involvement.

Table 2 compares criminal behavior and arrests for the entire NTIES sample during the 12-month period before and after treatment. The results show substantial reductions in criminal behavior and arrests after treatment:

NTIES Table of Contents | Introduction | Conclusions | Appendix | NTIES Findings on: Drug and Alcohol Use | Changes in Criminal Behavior | Employment, Income, and Homelessness | Changes in Physical and Mental Health | Changes in Sexual Behavior | Variation in Treatment Outcomes | Costs of Treatment