Conclusions and recommendations
Part 1: The impact of the Order
1. To
confirm the Drug Treatment and Testing Order's suitability as
one option for sentencing offenders who misuse drugs, the National
Offender Management Service should undertake research on the outcomes
for those who have been subject to an Order to identify the impact
on reconviction rates and on reducing drug misuse, and to identify
factors which contribute to a successful outcome. Evaluation
of early pilots of the Order found 80% of offenders had been reconvicted
within two years, but for those who completed the Order the reconviction
rate dropped to 53%. Completion rates vary significantly, however,
across the country, from 8% in Kent to 71% in Dorset.
2. In view of the
significant variations in completion rates and their potential
impact on the successful rehabilitation of the offender, the
National Offender Management Service should reconsider its target
setting to place less emphasis on the number of commencements
and more emphasis on the achievement of successful outcomes.
Part 2: Improving the delivery of the Order
3. An
emphasis on commencements may encourage use of the Order in inappropriate
circumstances, and for offenders whose aim is largely to avoid
imprisonment with little real intention of engaging with the Order.
Better use should be made of the time between arrest and sentence
to assess an offender's suitability for the Order and to build
and sustain his or her motivation to engage with the Order.
4. Content of local
programmes has been left to the discretion of local probation
teams by the National Offender Management Service and hence the
types of activity offered vary significantly across the country.
Local programmes should focus on educational and vocational
training to raise basic skill levels, and to increase offenders'
opportunities to gain employment.
5. The National Offender Management Service
should monitor the performance of local probation teams in delivering
the number of contact hours with offenders expected by the courts
and set down in Home Office guidelines.
Where performance falls short of the required minimum of 15 hours
per week in the first 13 weeks, and 12 hours thereafter, the Service
should explore why, and take action with the local team to resolve
any difficulties such as staff shortages or accessibility of treatment.
6. The National Offender Management Service
should make sure that a consistent approach to enforcement of
the Order is taken across the country to maintain the credibility
of the Order as an effective punishment with local communities.
The Service should also seek to reduce the costs and time associated
with breach activity by streamlining the paperwork required so
this does not act as a disincentive to probation teams to take
timely action.
Part 3: Reducing the risk of relapse
7. The National Offender Management Service
should work with local housing agencies and the voluntary sector
to enable those offenders making progress to break free of a lifestyle
which might draw them back into criminal behaviour.
8. The National Offender Management Service
and National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse should have
effective arrangements in place to maintain support and treatment
for those coming off the Order,
for example through protocols agreed by probation and drug action
teams. Research by the Department of Health[2]
has shown that it can take many years to give up drug misuse,
so drug misusers are likely to require treatment and support over
a sustained period before they achieve abstinence. Around 71%
of current Drug Treatment and Testing Orders are, however, intended
to last around twelve months, and some as little as six months.
Continued support and treatment beyond the term of the Order may
be critical to ultimate success.
2 The National Treatment Outcome Research Study Back
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