drug treatments

• Methadone - a controlled and safe way to ween people of heroin

  • Reduces addiction which reduces criminal behaviours like utilitarian crimes
• Stilbestrol - female hormone that supresses the effects of testosterone in sex offenders

  • Chemical castration decreases sexual urges which then reduces sexual offence crimes
• Antabuse - prevents breakdown of alcohol and makes people feel ill if they do drink

  • Reduces alcohol consumption --> reduces crime
• • 50% of violent crimes are due to alcohol abuse
• • 80% of violent crime are due to domestic abuse
• Limitations of drug treatments -

  Side effects - sickness (Antabuse) and addiction (methadone)

  • The bad thing about Antabuse is that it can cause sickness which means people are less likely to take it therefore there will still be drug problems.
  • Methadone can cause addiction which makes it hard for people to come off it and is dangerous. If they come off it they might want to start taking drugs again

   
• Limitations of drug treatments -

  Not guaranteed - no alcohol

  People who have had treatment for drugs and alcohol have no certainty that they will never drink or do drugs again or that it will even work on them.
• Limitations of drug treatments -

  Doesn’t change any other factors

  It does not change factors like socio-economic situations. They don’t take into account money, so people may still commit crimes and do drugs as they might not have enough money