THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS A BROAD TERM – KEY COMMISSIONERS ARE :
HM PRISON AND PROBATION SERVICE ( HMPPS ) Part-privatised in 2014 , The National Probation Service is now part of the civil service and sits with prisons in HM Prison and Probation Service ( HMPPS ). Drug treatment was the subject of a ‘ disappointing ’ thematic inspection in 2021 which included a raft of recommendations for the new model probation service . The probation service is working to improve the offer for drug and alcohol-related offending , including the commissioning of drug and rehabilitation services and increasing the use of community sentences requiring treatment for drug and alcohol problems .
The National Probation Service also commissions services , including some for offenders with drug and alcohol problems , and works with a number of third sector organisations who are also providers of local authority and prison commissioned services and who are represented by an umbrella organisation , Clinks .
The prison service has a strategy from 2019 which will need an update to bring it in line with the 2021 drug strategy . The direction of this can be judged from a white paper prepared under Dominic Raab in 2021 – now back at the MoJ – which looked at increasing the use of testing , making treatment , including abstinence-based treatment available to prisoners , and expanding ‘ incentivised substance-free living units ’, which sound like a sort of rehab unit in prison .
D Callcut / Alamy of the objectives of criminal justice services is reducing reoffending and this requires good , accessible treatment services .
IMPROVED OFFERS Improving the preventative and diversionary offer within the criminal justice system for people whose offending is related to drug use . This is an area that has been a focus for some police , fire and crime commissioners ( PFCCs ), including the West Midlands , but should be developed further and linked to the liaison and diversion services .
BARRIERS TO TREATMENT Working not just to increase the numbers in treatment but also looking at the barriers to treatment for people with multiple problems . This is a key part of the Project ADDER pilots but needs to be a concern among all commissioners . Many of the people with drug and alcohol problems within criminal justice services are not in treatment .
JOINT WORKING Better joint working between the staff of criminal justice agencies and treatment providers – informing sentencing recommendations and appropriate enforcement of community sentences and licences for released prisoners
CONTINUITY OF CARE Ensuring continuity of care between prison and the community and drug treatment , informing the supervision and enforcement of prison license conditions . At present there appears to be a prison / probation pathway relating to post release license and another between prison healthcare and community services with limited joint working to support prisoners after their release . This is a key role for the newly created health and justice partnership coordinators within the Probation Service .
Tony Margetts is a drug and alcohol treatment commissioning consultant
POLICE AND PFCCS PFCCs have considerable discretion in what – if any – drug and alcohol services they commission , with approaches ranging from the recently discontinued heroin assisted treatment in Middlesbrough to calls to reschedule cannabis as a class A drug .
LOCAL AUTHORITY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONERS Commissioners are responsible for commissioning community drug and alcohol treatment services , including the treatment elements of drug rehabilitation orders and alcohol treatment requirements , which are imposed by courts and can be breached by failing to comply with treatment . Some areas are piloting government schemes to address the needs of people with multiple problems , particularly Project ADDER , which looks at improving access to treatment for offenders and Changing Futures , which looks at people with multiple problems including offending , homelessness , mental health , and domestic abuse .
NHS ENGLAND Often overlooked as a commissioner of drug treatment , NHS England is responsible for healthcare in prisons , including drug and alcohol treatment and liaison and diversion services designed to assess the health and social care needs of people arrested by the police . It also commissions the Reconnect service , which is currently being rolled out nationally and which is designed to improve continuity of care between prison and community drug treatment services .
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