DDN Magazine DDN February 2023 | Page 20

COMMISSIONING

JUSTICE SERVED

B ritain has long used criminal law and criminal justice agencies as a key part of its response to drug use . While alcohol and tobacco have been regulated and licensed , other drugs fall under the venerable Misuse of Dugs Act 1971 or the more recent Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 .

While this approach has been the subject of much debate – with critics suggesting a more tolerant and health-based approach may serve the nation better – this article looks at the response of criminal justice agencies to the national drug strategy , and the challenge of commissioning in a complex and fragmented landscape .
In a follow-up to our recent three-part commissioning series , Tony Margetts looks at commissioning drug and alcohol services from a criminal justice perspective
Dame Carol Black said in her first report , ‘ More than a third [ of the 82,000 + people in prison ] are there due to crimes relating to drug use ( mostly acquisitive crime ). These prisoners tend to serve very short sentences , have limited time in prison treatment and poor hand-offs back into the community . They are highly likely to reoffend .’ This finding influenced much in the 2021 drug strategy and this article considers the implications of this .
These agencies , with overlapping but not identical interests , will be commissioning in a complex landscape . The government , in its guidance to local partners , has asked areas to set up Combatting Drugs Partnerships to coordinate a local response to the national drug strategy .
These are mostly working on a local authority level and are chaired by directors of public health , making the involvement of prisons – which operate across local authority areas – challenging . The partnerships will also have to implement the ‘ three strikes ’ response to drug testing currently being contemplated by the Home Office as part of the controversial Swift , certain , tough white paper .
The last ten years have seen a considerable loss of experienced staff from prison and probation services , and both drug and alcohol knowledge and commissioning experience has been lost . Clinks , in a series of reports on the work of the voluntary sector within criminal justice , has highlighted the inflexibilities of Ministry of Justice ( MoJ ) as a partner . The services are also working under considerable staffing pressures , making the day job hard enough .
So , what are the priorities for commissioning in the criminal justice system ? Here are a few suggestions :
EDUCATION Improving the knowledge levels around drug and alcohol treatment within the staff of criminal justice services so that they can contribute to joint commissioning appropriately . This means both a better knowledge of the evidence base for drug treatment and better commissioning skills . One
20 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • FEBRUARY 2023 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM