The British Journal of Psychiatry 132: 487-491 (1978)
© 1978 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
The relationship between duration of treatment in a therapeutic community for drug abusers and subsequent criminality
S Wilson and B Mandelbrote
The conviction rates for the first 61 admissions to a therapeutic community
for drug dependence were obtained for a period two years prior to admission
and two years after discharge, by searching in the Criminal Records Office
at Scotland Yards. A long-stay group (n = 20) which had remained in
residence more than six months was compared with a medium-stay group (n =
20) which had remained from one to six months and a short stay group (n =
21) which had remained less than one month. The long-stay group had a
pre-admission conviction rate of 60 per cent, which was significantly
reduced to 10 per cent during the follow-up period. The conviction rate of
the medium-stay group was reduced from 70 per cent before treatment to 45
percent after treatment; that of the short stay group remained constant at
57 per cent before and after treatment. It is suggested that periods of
more than six months treatment in the community are effective in reducing
subsequent criminality.
