Thursday, September 25, 2003

Offenders drop out of drug course

Over two-thirds of convicted drug users who took part in the government's flagship treatment programme dropped out, a Home Office study has shown.

And a majority of all of those who took part in the scheme went on to commit further crimes, the research found.

The government is spending £53 million this year on the projects.

They were introduced so that some drug users who commit crimes to pay for their habit are sent for treatment as an alternative to custody.

Drug testing

Only 30% of offenders on the Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) finished them, while 67% had their orders revoked.

Among those who completed the order, just over half were reconvicted within two years, while 91% of those who failed to complete were reconvicted.

The order includes a requirement to attend the course, mandatory drug testing and court progress reviews.

The report says if drug treatment and testing order teams struggle to establish their programmes, and lack resources to deliver rapid and appropriate responses, they could become "expensive precursors to imprisonment".

It said the results of the study into three pilot schemes in Croydon, Gloucestershire and Liverpool were "less encouraging" than expected.