Crime and drug use among applicants for methadone maintenance

The relationship between crime and drug use was examined in 313 Australian opioid addicts who applied for entry to methadone treatment. More than 90% of them had recorded one or more convictions for property or drug offences. Subjects' self-reported convictions were moderately correlated with convictions recorded by the police. Men were more likely to begin their opioid use at or after their first criminal conviction, while women were more likely to begin offending after they used opioids. The rate at which subjects accrued convictions for property offences declined as they grew older and the earlier a subject's first exposure to the criminal justice system the higher the rate at which they accrued convictions.