title: Is treatment for alcohol use disorder associated with reductions in criminal offending? A national data linkage cohort study in England.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This is the first English national study of change in criminal offending following treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
  
  
  METHODS
  All adults treated for AUD by all publicly funded treatment services during April 2008-March 2009 (n=53,017), with data linked to the Police National Computer (April 2006-November 2011). Pre-treatment offender sub-populations were identified by Latent Profile Analysis. The outcome measure was the count of recordable criminal offences during two-year follow-up after admission. A mixed-effects, Poisson regression modelled outcome, adjusting for demographics and clinical information, the latent classes, and treatment exposure covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two percent of the cohort committed one or more offences in the two years pre-treatment (n=11,742; crude rate, 221.5 offenders per 1000). During follow-up, the number of offenders and offences fell by 23.5% and 24.0%, respectively (crude rate, 69.4 offenders per 1000). During follow-up, a lower number of offences was associated with: completing treatment (adjusted incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-0.85); receiving inpatient detoxification (IRR 0.84; CI 0.80-0.89); or community pharmacological therapy (IRR 0.89; CI 0.84-0.96). Reconviction was reduced in the sub-population characterised by driving offences (n=1,140; 11.7%), but was relatively high amongst acquisitive (n=768; 58.3% reconvicted) and violent offending sub-populations (n=602; 77.6% reconvicted).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced offending was associated with successful completion of AUD treatment and receiving inpatient and pharmacological therapy, but not enrolment in psychological and residential interventions. Treatment services (particularly those providing psychological therapy and residential care) should be alert to offending, especially violent and acquisitive crime, and enhance crime reduction interventions.
authors: Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Division, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England, United Kingdom.
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Willey
authors: Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Division, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England, United Kingdom; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: Eastwood
authors: Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom.
authors: Ivan L
authors: IL
authors: Gee
authors: Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Division, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England, United Kingdom; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London,United Kingdom. Electronic address: john.marsden@kcl.ac.uk.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Marsden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011613:Psychotherapy
keywords: Alcohol use disorder; Crime; Outcome; Re-offending; Treatment