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January 22, 2024

"Policing Substance Use: Chicago's Treatment Program for Narcotics Arrests"

The title of this post is the title of this recent paper I just came across on SSRN authored by Ashna Arora and Panka Bencsik. Here is its abstract:

In the United States, law enforcement officers serve as first responders to most health crises, allowing them to connect many more individuals to treatment services than other government actors, a fact that has come into increasing focus due to the opioid epidemic.  In response, police departments across the country have begun to divert individuals that possess narcotics away from arrest and towards treatment and recovery.  Evidence on whether these programs are able to engender meaningful change — initially by increasing participation in substance use treatment, and eventually by reducing the likelihood of continued drug use and criminal justice involvement — remains limited.

This paper aims to shed light on the potential of these programs by exploiting the eligibility criteria for and staggered rollout of narcotics arrest diversion in Chicago between 2018 and 2020 using a triple difference framework.  We find that the program reaches individuals with medically diagnosed substance use disorders, increases connections with substance use treatment, and reduces subsequent arrests.  We conclude that Chicago’s drug diversion program is able to simultaneously reduce the reach of the criminal justice system, expand the number of individuals with substance use disorders connected with treatment, and improve public safety.

January 22, 2024 at 09:04 PM | Permalink

Comments

Using Chicago, no less, as a model for ANYTHING even vaguely connected to law enforcement is just mind-boggling.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 22, 2024 9:33:34 PM

What a massively dismissive and useless comment. I will bet you think that Chicago is also the most dangerous city in the country as well?

Posted by: John K. | Jan 23, 2024 9:57:05 AM

John K. --

Nope, Chicago is merely # 13. Memphis is # 1 and St. Louis is # 2. See https://propertyclub.nyc/article/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us

Here's the lowdown on your wonderful Chicago:

"Chicago is also one of the worst cities in the US. It constantly makes the news as one of America’s most dangerous and violent cities. With a population of 2,746,388, Chicago has a crime rate of 3,926 per 100,000 people, making it 67% more dangerous than the US average. In 2020, Chicago had 26,620 violent crimes, including 774 murders. Much of violent crime can be attributed to gang violence and conflict, which is closely tied to the drug trade.

"Much of Chicago’s gang violence is based in neighborhoods in which gangs operate. In general, the South Side and West Side of Chicago are considered to be the most dangerous. The most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago are Englewood, Austin, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, and Washington Park."

Wow -- what a wonderful example to use as a criminal justice model!!!

P.S. Want to sign your last name to your next airheaded comment, yellowbelly?

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 23, 2024 4:39:44 PM

Well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
Here Chicago is 17th

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/4366668-these-cities-and-towns-are-most-dangerous-in-the-us-study-finds/
Here Chicago is not in the top 15

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-violent-cities-in-america
Here Chicago is 20th

https://www.alarms.org/top-100-most-dangerous-cities-in-america/
This from 2020 lists Chicago at 91.....

It actually is a very safe place to live, having lived in more dangerous cities like Indianapolis, Minneapolis. The link you quoted is suspect as the population is wrong and some of the neighborhoods listed are not nearly as violent as others.

To answer your request, since I am working for a LEO agency, I will not be posting my last name.

Posted by: John K. | Jan 25, 2024 3:27:01 PM

John K. --

A city is defined by the Census Bureau (and common understanding) as an urban area of at least 50,000 people, see https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch12GARM.pdf. There are 798 such cities in the United States.

The specific figures you give rank Chicago as, respectively, No. 17, No. 20, and No. 91 (which I doubt but will accept for purposes of argument) in terms of dangerousness. The average of that would put Chicago as No. 43.

Being the 43rd most dangerous city out of 798 puts Chicago in the top six-tenths of one percent for dangerousness. In other words, 99.4% of US cities are less dangerous. But you say, and I quote, "It actually is a very safe place to live..."

You wrote that my comment was dismissive and useless. Yours, however -- as YOUR OWN figures show -- was a point-blank lie.

So now we know the real reason you won't identify yourself.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jan 26, 2024 3:23:19 AM

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