Cuts in Mass. Drug Treatment Could Mean More Crime May 6, 2003
News Summary
A month after Massachusetts severely cut funding for drug-treatment programs, neighborhoods are seeing a rise in crime, the New Bedford Standard-Times reported April 27.In New Bedford and Fairhaven, neighborhood activists say prostitution and burglary are on the rise.
"In the past few weeks, crazy things started happening," said Suzanne Braga, chairwoman of Neighborhoods United. "We're starting to see prostitution, breaking into homes is on the rise. The last time I heard of so many cars broken into was in the '70s."
As a result of budget cuts, addicted individuals undergoing treatment lost their MassHealth insurance on April 1. Without the state insurance, many are unable to afford the cost of rehab programs at local clinics.
"The price of heroin has decreased, while the cost of entering the methadone treatment now costs $100 to $150," said Carl Alves, president of Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction (PAACA). He said about 4,000 people in the Greater New Bedford area have lost their health insurance.
With funding for methadone treatments being eliminated July 1, residents are concerned that recovering addicts will relapse into a life of crime to satisfy their addiction.
"If we keep stabbing at the lowest parts of our society, we are doomed to worse problems in the future," said Alves. "It is not just up to politicians, it is a shared responsibility."
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