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Published on: August 20, 2010
Trends in crime and the introduction of a needle exchange program
M A Marx1, B Crape, R S Brookmeyer
1Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Md. 21205, USA.
Objectives:
This study sought to determine whether introduction of a needle exchange program would be associated with increased crime rates.
Methods:
Trends in arrests were compared in program and nonprogram areas before and after introduction of a needle exchange program in Baltimore. Trends were modeled and compared via Poisson regression.
Results:
No significant differences in arrest trends emerged. Over the study period, increases in category-specific arrests in program and nonprogram areas, respectively, were as follows: drug possession, 17.7% and 13.4%; economically motivated offenses, 0.0% and 20.7%; resistance to police authority, 0.0% and 5.3%; and violent offenses, 7.2% and 8.0%.
Conclusions:
The lack of association of overall and type-specific arrest data with program implementation argues against the role of needle exchange programs in increasing crime rates.
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