PSA 4: Reduce the harm caused by illegal
drugs including substantially increasing the number of drug misusing
offenders entering treatment through the criminal justice system
Scope
This target applies to England and Wales.
Definitions & Measurement Systems
The level of harm caused by illegal drug use is measured
by a substantial basket of individual harm indicators that have
been amalgamated in the Drug Harm Index. The harms are weighted
according to their economic impact to allow year-on-year comparisons
of the harm caused by drugs. The index currently captures the
following harms:
Health Impacts
- New HIV cases due to intravenous drug use (Communicable
Disease Surveillance Centre)
- New Hepatitis B & C cases due to intravenous
drug use (Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre)
- Drug-related deaths (Office for National Statistics)
- Drug-related mental health and behavioural problems
(Hospital Episode Statistics)
- Drug overdoses (Hospital Episode Statistics)
- Drug-related neonatal problems (Hospital Episode
Statistics)
Drug Dealing
- Public perception of local availability of drugs
(British Crime Survey)
- Number of drug supply offences (Crime Statistics)
Domestic Crime (all British Crime Survey, calibrated
with Arrestee Survey)
- Burglary
- Theft of vehicle
- Theft from vehicle
- Bike theft
- Other theft
- Robbery
Commercial Crime (calibrated with Arrestee
Survey and Crime Statistics (for trend))
- Shoplifting (Crime & Justice Survey)
- Burglary (Commercial Victimisation Survey)
- Theft of vehicle (Commercial Victimisation Survey)
- Theft from vehicle (Commercial Victimisation
Survey)
The components of the index and the weightings are
under review and could change as a result before the measurement
system is finalised. A detailed account of the Drug Harm Index
will be published by the Home Office in December 2004.
Drug misusing offenders that enter treatment as a
result of the Criminal Justice Intervention Programme (CJIP),
a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO), following a referral
from the Probation Service, a Youth Offending Team or whilst in
correctional services are deemed to have entered through the criminal
justice system. A substantial increase in the numbers entering
through the criminal justice system is measured using information
collated by the Home Office CJIP management information team.
Baseline
The baseline year is 2002 for the Drug Harm Index.
Success Criteria
The target will have been achieved if:
- the Drug Harm Index is lower in 2007/8 than
in 2002; and
- the number of drug misusing offenders entering
treatment through the criminal justice system increases from a
baseline of 695 in May 2004 to a target value that will be published
in the Autumn of 2004.
Additional
Notes
This PSA target is part of the wider Public Service
Agreement on Action Against Illegal Drugs. The other targets in
that Public Service Agreement and the Concerted Inter Agency Drugs
Action Group (CIDA)[55]
aim to have a sustained impact on the supply
of Class A drugs to the UK and availability within its communities,
contribute to the delivery of this target. In addition, delivery
of this target will contribute to achieving Home Office PSA 1
to reduce crime.
55 CIDA brings together the agencies responsible for
combating the supply of drugs to the UK market. Back
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