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- Title
Overdose Prevention Centers, Crime, and Disorder in New York City.
- Authors
Chalfin, Aaron; del Pozo, Brandon; Mitre-Becerril, David
- Abstract
Key Points: Question: What trends in crime and disorder were associated with the opening of 2 overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in New York City (NYC) in November 2021? Findings: This cohort study of 2 OPCs and 17 syringe service programs found no significant increases in crimes recorded by the police or calls for emergency service in NYC neighborhoods where 2 OPCs were located. Consistent with the city's commitment to ensuring clients could use the centers free from law enforcement interference, large, statistically significant declines in police narcotics enforcement around the OPCs were observed. Meaning: These findings suggest that concerns about crime and disorder remain substantial barriers to the expansion of OPCs in US cities, and initial data from NYC do not support these concerns. This cohort study uses administrative data to evaluate the changes in crime and disorder associated with the opening of 2 overdose prevention centers in New York City. Importance: The first government-sanctioned overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in the US opened in New York City (NYC) in November 2021 amid concerns that they may increase crime and disorder, representing a significant political challenge to OPCs. Objective: To identify whether opening the first 2 government-sanctioned OPCs in the US was associated with changes in crime and disorder. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, difference-in-differences Poisson regression models were used to compare crime, residents' requests for assistance for emergencies and nuisance complaints, and police enforcement in the vicinity of NYC's 2 OPCs with those around 17 other syringe service programs that did not offer overdose prevention services from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Changes in the volume of crimes reported by the public or observed by police; arrests for drug possession and weapons; 911 calls and 311 calls regarding crime, public nuisances, and medical events; and summonses issued by police for criminal infractions in both the immediate vicinity of the sites (ie, a hexagonal area spanning about 6 city blocks) and their wider neighborhoods (ie, a tesselated 3-hexagon array spanning about 18 city blocks). Results: No significant changes were detected in violent crimes or property crimes recorded by police, 911 calls for crime or medical incidents, or 311 calls regarding drug use or unsanitary conditions observed in the vicinity of the OPCs. There was a significant decline in low-level drug enforcement, as reflected by a reduction in arrests for drug possession near the OPCs of 82.7% (95% CI, −89.9% to −70.4%) and a reduction in their broader neighborhoods of 74.5% (95% CI, −87.0% to −50.0%). Significant declines in criminal court summonses issued in the immediate vicinity by 87.9% (95% CI, −91.9% to −81.9%) and in the neighborhoods around the OPCs by 59.7% (95% CI, −73.8% to −38.0%) were observed. Reductions in enforcement were consistent with the city government's support for the 2 OPCs, which may have resulted in a desire not to deter clients from using the sites by fear of arrest for drug possession. Conclusions and Relevance: In this difference-in-differences cohort study, the first 2 government-sanctioned OPCs in the US were not associated with significant changes in measures of crime or disorder. These observations suggest the expansion of OPCs can be managed without negative crime or disorder outcomes.
- Subjects
NEW York (State); HEALTH education; CONFIDENCE intervals; COMMUNICABLE diseases; STRATEGIC planning; DRUG overdose; CONTROLLED substances; CRIME; VIOLENCE; REGRESSION analysis; PUBLIC health; WEAPONS; PREVENTIVE health services; HARM reduction; RESEARCH funding; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; DATA analysis software; LONGITUDINAL method; POISSON distribution
- Publication
JAMA Network Open, 2023, Vol 6, Issue 11, pe2342228
- ISSN
2574-3805
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.42228