Substance Abuse Treatment Centers and Local Crime.

• NCJ Number: 253134
• Journal: Journal of Urban Economics Volume: 104 Dated: March 2018 Pages: 124-133
• Author(s): Samuel R. Bondurant; Jason M. Lindo; Isaac D. Swensen
• Date Published: March 2018
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-R2-CX-0015
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Program/Project Evaluation
• Award: Substance Abuse Treatment as a Mechanism to Reduce Drug Abuse and Crime

Annotation

This study estimated the effects of expanding access to substance-abuse treatment on local crime.

Abstract

This was done by using an identification strategy that leveraged variation driven by substance-abuse-treatment facility openings and closings measured at the county level. The results indicate that substance-abuse-treatment facilities reduced both violent and financially motivated crimes in an area, and that the effects were particularly pronounced for relatively serious crimes. The effects on homicides were documented in two sources of homicide data and were concentrated in highly populated areas. (publisher abstract modified)