A review of relevant research in Australia and other countries indicates that although research methodology is often flawed and results mixed, there is sufficient evidence to establish that male heroin addicts' incidences of arrest for violent and property crime diminish significantly when they receive methadone maintenance. Some health care professionals criticize methadone maintenance as a social control measure instead of a health care measure. The reduction of maladaptive behavior, however, is an appropriate goal of mental health care. A policy currently under consideration in New South Wales would introduce centralized assessment for methadone maintenance and an improved geographical distribution of programs in the regions where it is used. This would permit an improved systematic method of data collection on the programs and their effects. 23 references.