The six major sections of the paper discuss findings about heroin and cocaine abusers, interface with the criminal justice and drug treatment systems, policy implications, options for the criminal justice system, new alternatives to incarceration, and the reallocation of fiscal and personnel resources. The section that presents findings about heroin and cocaine abusers notes that those who abuse these drugs consume them at least once a week; many consume them many times per day. Heroin and cocaine abusers are the most serious street criminals, and approximately half of the most violent criminals are heroin users, with most consuming it daily. Daily heroin users commit over 100 crimes per year, excluding drug crimes. The discussion of the interface with the criminal justice and treatment systems advises that criminal justice agencies have few strategies for routinely detecting and intervening in the drug use of arrested heroin and cocaine abusers, even though there is little evidence that criminal justice sanctions are as effective as drug treatment in reducing the drug use and criminality of cocaine-heroin abusers at liberty. One section of the paper presents several policy options by which criminal justice agencies can more effectively deal with criminally active heroin and cocaine abusers, and another section provides new policy options by which criminal justice agencies can reduce the criminality of cocaine-heroin abusers convicted of crimes, other than by incarceration. The authors recommend that fiscal and personnel resources be refocused to support mandatory treatment and routine monitoring of convicted heroin and cocaine abusers. 58 notes, 4 tables, 4 graphs, and 132 references