title: Patterns of acquisitive crime during methadone maintenance treatment among patients eligible for heroin assisted treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the patterns of acquisitive crime during methadone maintenance treatment among chronic, treatment-resistant heroin users eligible for heroin assisted treatment in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively assessed the type and number of illegal activities during 1 month of standard methadone maintenance treatment in 51 patients prior to the start of heroin assisted treatment. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview focussed on crime with special emphasis on property crime. Volume analyses consisted of frequencies and descriptives of mean numbers of offences per day and per type.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a Dutch population of problematic drug users eligible for and prior to commencing heroin assisted treatment, 70% reported criminal activities and 50% reported acquisitive crimes. Offending took place on 20.5 days per month with on average 3.1 offences a day. Acquisitive crime consisted mainly of shoplifting (mean 12.8 days, 2.2 times/day) and theft of bicycles (mean 5.8 days, 2.4 times/day); theft from a vehicle and burglaries were committed less frequently. The majority of these patients (63%) reported to have started offending in order to acquire illicit drugs and alcohol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During methadone maintenance treatment, 50% of criminally active, problematic heroin users eligible for heroin assisted treatment reported acquisitive crime. Shoplifting, thefts and/or other property crimes were committed on average two to three times on a crime day. This study discusses that the detail provided by self-reported crime data can improve cost estimates in economic evaluations of heroin assisted treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, Room J1B-226, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. b.vanderzanden@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Bart P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: van der Zanden
authors.forename: Marcel G W
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Dijkgraaf
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blanken
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Ree
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D008691:Methadone