The sample consisted of 239 families that participated in the first wave of a longitudinal study of families in which the proband father did or did not qualify for a psychoactive substance use disorder (dependence). Fathers in 96 of the families had a lifetime history of psychoactive substance use disorder other than alcohol only. Fathers in the 143 remaining families did not have any lifetime history of psychoactive substance use disorder. The Criminal Activity in the Environment Form was used to document census data and crime statistics for the neighborhoods in which each family resided. Three crime indexes were documented: felony offenses, misdemeanor and summary offenses, and drug and alcohol offenses. Neighborhood crimes were adjusted by neighborhood census data to reflect the number of crimes per 1,000 population. Paternal drug abusing families were lower in socioeconomic status than the nonabusing families and resided in neighborhoods with higher felony and misdemeanor/summary crime rates than paternal nonabusing families; however, controlling for socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and domicile, drug abuse status was not associated with neighborhood crime rates. Factors that contribute to variations in neighborhood crime rates between ethnic groups are discussed. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 40 references