Overdose Prevention Centers' Effects on Crime: Recent Research from New York City

The drug overdose crisis has been a recurrent challenge in the U.S., including the state of Connecticut. As states experiment with different interventions, several jurisdictions have moved from punitive measures to a treatment and harm reduction approach—one contentious aspect of which is the establishment of overdose prevention sites, also known as safe or supervised injection sites. Public opinion is not yet overly supportive of overdose prevention sites, often questioning whether they will lead to increases in neighborhood crime. Recent research examining the effects of New York’s first two legally sanctioned facilities provides important insights for policymakers who want to fight overdose in their communities while assuaging residents’ and their own concerns about crime, violence, and blight.