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Abstract: Objectives: Many countries including Iran have a high rate of substance abuse. It is essential for public health and law enforcement strategies to know the causes and consequences of substance abuse and its relation to crimes. Methods: In a prospective case–control study, covering a period of one year starting from March 21, 2010, 125 cases with criminal behavior and 125 cases with no history of criminal behavior were studied. Results: Eight percent of our studied population had a previous history of psychological disorder. Most of our cases were cigarette users (78.4%). Forty-two cases had a history of alcohol abuse (16.8%). Modern drugs were the most common type of drugs (56%) being used. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression revealed that criminal behavior was correlated with divorce (RR = 5.35; 95% CI = 1.59–16.01; P = 0.023), history of alcohol use (RR = 2.63; 95% CI = 1.11–6.22; P = 0.027), history of psychological disorder (RR = 4.97; 95% CI = 1.44–17.20; P = 0.011), Modern drug use (RR = 4.86; 95% CI = 2.01–11.76; P = 0.001) and starting drug abuse at an early age (RR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.88–0.99; P = 0.03). Conclusions: Risk factors for criminal behavior among substance abusers include being divorced, history of alcohol abuse, history of psychological disorder, modern drug abuse and starting drug abuse at an early age. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]