title: Delinquency by opiate addicts treated at two London clinics.
abstract: 455 male and 120 female opiate addicts were treated at two London drug dependence clinics between 1968 and 1975. The delinquency pattern of 117 female addicts and of a systematic sample of 119 male addicts was analysed in relation to stages of their addiction career and outcome. Treatment had no effect on overall crime rate but there was a significant increase in the proportion of drug offences during the treatment stage. Comparisons between the sexes showed that the outcome of treatment was worse in women. In male addicts a history of delinquency had no prognostic significance, but in females convictions for non-drug offences before entering treatment might predict poor response to treatment of drug dependence.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology