NCJ Number
187835
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper evaluates drug treatment and testing orders as a community sentence.
Abstract
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) were introduced as a community sentence under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. The Criminal Policy Research Unit at South Bank University evaluated orders in three pilot sites for 18 months, between October 1998 and March 2000. By the end of the evaluation, 210 offenders had been sentenced to a DTTO, nearly three-quarters of offenders recommended to the court for an order. Drug use and crime were substantially reduced for the small number of offenders who had reached the end of their orders by the time the evaluation concluded. Of the 2,500 urine tests for opiates, 42 percent were positive; of the 2,234 tests for crack/cocaine, 45 percent were positive. However, while tests show whether or not a drug has been used, they do not reflect the steep reductions in the level and range of drug use reported by many offenders. The article states that the key to establishing successful DTTO schemes is to ensure effective inter-agency working, with emphasis on selecting and training staff, clarifying roles and responsibilities, designing and running team building activities, and planning better assessment procedures and treatment programs. Tables, reference