Opioids
Knowing what to do starts with knowing what works, and what hasn't. CrimeSolutions helps practitioners and policymakers understand what programs & practices work, are promising, or haven't worked yet.
On this page you can find programs and practices related to Opioids. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
Icon | Rating | Program Rating Description | Practice Rating Description |
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Effective | Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
Promising | Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s) | On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
No Effects | Implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome or may result in a negative outcome. |
Programs
Showing Results For:
Topic: opioidsTitle | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | RCT | ||
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Program Profile: Intensive Judicial Supervision (IJS) in Parramatta Drug Court (Australia) |
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Drug courts, Heroin, Courts, Problem-solving courts, Sanctions, Crime prevention, Substance abuse, Opioids | This intervention was designed to increase the level of judicial oversight on participants convicted of misdemeanor crimes in the Parramatta Drug Court program. The program was rated Promising. Results indicated that participants under intensive judicial supervision had lower rates of positive drug tests, compared with the comparison group. This difference was statistically significant. However, there were no statistically significant differences in sanctions, program progression or termination. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Social Support Treatment with Drug Testing (Maryland) |
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Drug testing, Parole, Cocaine, Heroin, Corrections, Community corrections, Reentry, Crime prevention, Substance abuse, Cocaine, Opioids | This program involves social support integrated with regular drug testing for recently paroled individuals who have a history of heroin and cocaine abuse. The program is rated Promising. Program participants had a statistically significant lower rate of reconviction, arrest, and incarceration, compared with the comparison group; however, there were no statistically significant effects on employment. Program participants also had a statistically significant higher positive drug-testing rate. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Community-Friendly Health Recovery Program (CHRP) |
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Heroin, Opioids | This is an HIV risk-reduction intervention targeting opioid-dependent individuals in drug treatment, with the objective of reducing drug- and sex-related HIV risks. The program is rated Promising. Individuals in the CHRP intervention showed statistically significant improvement on drug and sex risk-reduction skills over time; however, there was no effect on their knowledge of safer drug use, social motivation, and self-efficacy. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Random Drug Testing with Immediate Results and Immediate Sanctions |
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Alcohol-Related Offenses, Drug testing, Parole, Cocaine, Heroin, Alcohol, Reentry, Community corrections, Corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Courts, Illegal substances, Opioids | This program was an experiment that was conducted to examine the efficacy of alternative methods of instant drug testing, and to determine how the different methods affected rates of relapse and recidivism of parolees with substance abuse issues. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group experienced a statistically significant decrease in rates of relapse, but no statistically significant difference in recidivism, compared with the control group. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: West Midlands (England) High-Crime-Causing Users (HCCU) |
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Alcohol-Related Offenses, Cocaine, Heroin, Problem-oriented policing, Arrests, Substance abuse, Drugs, Opioids | An intensive community-based partnership between police and treatment providers in West Midlands that provided enhanced delivery and coordinated efforts and resources to high-risk individuals to reduce their offending behavior. The program is rated Promising. The program was shown to significantly reduce the average number of arrests for participants. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Maine Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts |
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Alcohol-Related Offenses, Drug courts, Juvenile courts, Heroin, Marijuana, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Diversion, Treatment, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Opioids | These court supervised, post-plea (but pre-final disposition) drug diversion programs provide comprehensive community-based treatment services to juveniles convicted of an offense and their families. The program is rated Promising. The program had a statistically significant impact on recidivism. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing |
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Schools, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Crime prevention, Opioids | This program is designed to deter students from substance use and to identify and refer those with substance use problems to counseling or treatment services. Students and their parents sign consent forms, agreeing to the students’ random drug testing as a condition of participation in athletics and other school-sponsored extracurricular activities. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant effects on overall substance use or intentions to use substances. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Families Facing the Future |
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Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Case Management, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Drugs, Illegal substances, Legal substances, Drugs, Opioids | This is an intensive family program combining relapse prevention and parenting skills training. This program is rated No Effects. Treatment group parents demonstrated statistically significantly less heroin use, fewer domestic conflicts, and higher refusal skills than control parents did. There were no statistically significant differences in other drug use by parents, child drug and alcohol use, child delinquency, child-reported negative peers, or child school attachment. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: New South Wales (Australia) Prison Methadone Maintenance Program |
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Heroin, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Cocaine, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Drugs, Opioids | This is a prison-based, methadone maintenance program in Australia, which is designed to reduce recidivism, prevent the spread of blood-borne viral infections (HIV and hepatitis) in prison, and encourage continuation of treatment in the community following release. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant effects on rates of mortality, recidivism, or hepatitis C infections. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Prison-Initiated Methadone Maintenance Treatment |
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Heroin, Drug testing, Drugs, Crime prevention, Inmate programs, Illegal substances, Cocaine, Opioids | This is a methadone maintenance treatment designed for currently incarcerated individuals with a heroin addiction. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group participants spent a greater number of days in community-based drug treatment following release and improved opioid drug test results, compared with control group participants. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were mixed results regarding cocaine use, criminal activity, and frequency of heroin use. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Naltrexone for Persons on Federal Probation |
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Probation, Heroin, Corrections, Community corrections, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Drugs, Cocaine, Opioids | This is a program that uses medication in the treatment of opioid addiction. The medication works by antagonizing opioid receptors and blocking the effects of opiates, usually heroin, which are consumed by addicts. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant reductions in opioid use and reincarceration among the treatment group, compared with the control group. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Suffolk County (N.Y.) Drug Treatment Court |
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Drug courts, Drug possession, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Opioids | This program is an alternative to incarceration for drug-abusing defendants, which provides substance abuse treatment and education, case management, and intensive supervision. The program is rated Effective. Treatment group participants had a statistically significant lower likelihood of recidivating and experienced a greater length of time between initial arrest and first rearrest, compared with the comparison group. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Interim Methadone Maintenance (Baltimore, Md.) |
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Heroin, Illegal substances, Drugs, Cocaine, Opioids | This is a daily treatment program for opiate-addicted adults on waiting lists for comprehensive treatment who receive doses of methadone and emergency counseling. The program is rated Promising. Participants reported a statistically significant decrease in heroin use and had lower crime rates, compared with the waitlist control group. However, there was no statistically significant effect on cocaine use. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: TCU Mapping-Enhanced Counseling for Substance Users |
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Cocaine, Heroin, Drug testing, Drugs, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Opioids | This program consists of a cognitive technique for incorporating graphic visualization tools into the counseling process for substance users. The program is rated Promising. The mapping-enhanced counseling group showed a statistically significant reduction in positive drug tests for opiates and cocaine at the 6-month posttest, compared with the control group. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial |
Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | ||||||
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Practice Profile: Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment |
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Heroin, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Drugs, Opioids | This is a medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence. Similar to methadone, buprenorphine works by occupying the opioid receptor and blocking the high that usually comes from illicit opioid drug use; however, buprenorphine exerts a weaker effect at opioid receptor sites because it is a partial agonist. The practice is rated Effective for reducing heroin/opioid use and increasing retention in treatment; however, it is rated No Effects for reducing use of benzodiazepines. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Methadone Maintenance Therapy |
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Heroin, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Inmate programs, Correctional facilities, Drugs, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Opioids | This practice involves a medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence. Methadone is a long-acting synthetic opioid analgesic that works as a pharmacologic intervention to prevent or reverse withdrawal symptoms, reduce opiate cravings, and bring about a biochemical balance in the body in order to reduce the illicit use of opioids. The practice is rated Effective for reducing use of heroin/opioids but rated No Effects for reducing criminal activity and mortality. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Narcotics Maintenance Treatment |
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Heroin, Jails, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs, Opioids | This practice attempts to reduce harms associated with drug dependency by prescribing synthetic opioid medication to opioid-addicted individuals who are in prison or jail. The practice is rated No Effects for reducing recidivism. A meta-analysis found that incarcerated persons in narcotics maintenance treatment have significantly greater odds of recidivating than comparison subjects. However, the practice is rated Promising for decreasing the odds of drug relapse post-release. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Opiate Maintenance Therapy for Persons for Persons Who Use Heroin and Cocaine |
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Cocaine, Heroin, Corrections, Drugs, Inmate programs, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Opioids | A medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, including methadone, buprenorphine, and Levo-Alpha-Acetymethadol (LAAM). The overall goals are to help opioid-addicted patients alleviate withdrawal symptoms, reduce or suppress opiate cravings, and reduce the illicit use of opioids (such as heroin). The practice is rated Effective for achieving higher sustained heroin abstinence for persons who abuse heroin and cocaine abusers, but No Effects for cocaine abstinence. Date Posted: |