This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New alternatives to custody for drug offenders
28/10/2003
Every sheriff court inScotlandwill have access to Drug Testing and Treatment Orders (DTTOs) as an option when dealing with drug related crime, a conference of drugs workers were told today.
The DTTO is a disposal for offenders who might otherwise receive a custodial sentence and aims to reduce the amount of theft and robbery committed to fund drug misuse. Evaluation of the pilot DTTO projects has been positive.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry also announced the distribution of over £1 million funding over two years for Arrest Referral schemes - a pathway into treatment and support services for addicts before they come before a court. Arrest Referral schemes aim to reduce offending behaviour and are entirely voluntary on the part of the offender.
Speaking at the joint Scottish Executive/Drug Action Team Association conference in Grangemouth, Mr Henry said:
"Drugs misuse and drug-related crime affect individuals and communities acrossScotland. Around 70 per cent of cases that come before our courts have a drug-related aspect. As the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons pointed out in his annual report just last week, a large percentage of our prison population have drugs problems and are there for drug-related offences.
"So it makes sense to look at other ways of reducing drug-related offendingand reducing its impact on both individuals and communities. That is why we introduced Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs), initially inGlasgowand thenFife, to test their effectiveness. Orders which reduce the amount of crime carried out to fund drugs misuse, and which reduce the level of misuse.
"External evaluation has been positive and last year we committed the Executive to rolling out DTTOs to courts covering about 70 per cent of the Scottish population.
"Today I am pleased to announce that we will make available the necessary resources to ensure that courts in every part ofScotlandhave the option to impose DTTOs as an alternative to custody - making good on a Partnership Agreement pledge.
"Let me be clear, DTTOs are not a soft option, they are a smart option. Any breach of an order is highly likely to result in prison. For serious drug dealers there will be no respite. They will continue to do serious time for their serious crimes.
Mr Henry also announced the allocation of Executive funding for Arrest Referral schemes. He said:
"Dealing with drug misusing offenders in the community offers the best prospects of breaking the cycle of criminal behaviour. Efficient and effective justice is not just about punishing criminals. It is about providing people with routes out of crime.
"Arrest Referral schemes can offer relatively minor offenders the opportunity to agree to treatment as an early alternative to being dealt with through the criminal courts. There are already a number of schemes across Scotlandin operation.
"I am keen to build on that success and today I am pleased to announce that we will provide funding to establish two year pilot schemes to start in January inGlasgow,DumfriesandGallowayand Lanarkshire. We will also provide funding for the extension of existing schemes in Renfrewshire, Tayside and Edinburgh.
"Drug Treatment and Testing Orders and Arrest Referral schemes tackle the real issues behind crime. They allow people who have committed drug-related offences to overcome their drug problems and to live healthy, crime-free lives making our communities safer places to live."
Drug Treatment and testing Orders are a high tariff available to the High Court and sheriff courts as an alternative to custody. The order contains features unique to community disposal, including a requirement for regular reviews by the court to enable sentencers to monitor progress and a requirement that the offender consent to regular, random drug tests throughout the order.
Findings of external evaluation by Stirling University of Glasgow andFifepilots show that within the first few months of an order being made offenders show a significant reduction in levels of spend on drugs and associated criminal behaviour. After six months on an Order expenditure on drugs decreased from an average of £490 per week pre-sentence to an average of £57 per week.
The amount of funding to be made available will be determined followingdiscussions with providers over the coming weeks. To date, 720 Orders have been made across Scotland.
Arrest referral allows drug users who have been arrested to volunteer toengage with drug treatment and/or other appropriate services with a view to reducing their offending behaviour.
The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act gives the Executive aspecific power to fund arrest referral schemes under the ringfenced funding arrangements for criminal justice social work.
The funding being distributed today comes from within the CriminalJustice social work budget, previously announced. The allocations, over two years, are:
Glasgow£494,000
DumfriesandGalloway £100,000
Lanarkshire - £128,000
Renfrewshire - £96,000
Tayside - £136,000
Edinburgh/Midlothian - £180,000
The bids for arrest referral funding were assessed by a multi-discipline team including officials from Police, Health, Social Work and Criminal Justice System policy teams. Bids judged to be successful were those which met most fully with the criteria, gave value for money and would provide for a geographical spread of arrest referral availability across the country.