Problem Drug Use and Probation in London: an evaluation

Drug treatment through the criminal justice system has received little attention from UK evaluators. This study involved interviews with 278 drug-misusing offenders and 15 main grade probation officers. All the offenders were supervised by the Inner London Probation Service and had been sentenced to either a probation or a combination order. Probationers were asked about: their drug use, weekly spend, and methods of raising this money, both prior to arrest and before interview; their views on the role of probation in effecting reduction in use; and their opinions on which types of intervention worked best. Results suggest large reductions in drug use and crime, especially for those whose probation order included a condition of treatment. There was also strong evidence of effective working partnerships between the probation service and the specialist drug services which helped bring these reductions about. The majority of probationers also spoke positively of the assistance offered by their supervising officer. However, a high proportion also felt that probation officers would benefit from increased drug awareness and training-a view shared by most probation officers we interviewed. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.