Although many pregnant, drug dependent women report extensive current criminal justice involvement, few studies have examined reductions in crime as an outcome of substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant women. This is unfortunate, because crime presents a serious health and developmental hazard to the unborn child. Using the Addiction Severity Index, differences in pre- and post-treatment criminal activity were measured for a sample of 439 pregnant women who entered publicly funded treatment programs in Massachusetts between 1992 and 1997. Accepted cost of illness methods were used to estimate the costs and benefits of five treatment modalities including residential, outpatient, methadone, residential/outpatient combined and detoxification alone (used as a minimal treatment comparison group). All five treatment modalities paid for themselves through avoided costs of crime, with net benefits ranging from $32,772 for residential only to $3,072 for detoxification. Baseline characteristics associated with reduced crime included: motivation, having a profession/skill, multiple drug use and #prior arrests. The study provides economic justification for the expansion of residential treatment programs for pregnant women.
Learning Objectives: The presentation will enable the participants to: 1. recognize that criminal involvement among pregnant, drug dependent women can pose serious health and developmental risks to the child. 2. evaluate the relative costs and benefits of alternative treatment approaches as a solution to this problem
Keywords: Substance Abuse Treatment, Perinatal Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.