NCJ Number
210536
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 44 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2005 Pages: 269-285
Date Published
July 2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article examined the availability of drug treatment services in English and Welsh prisons.
Abstract
The Prison Service drug strategy, launched in England and Wales in 1998, signaled a new determination by the state to intervene in drug-related crime by offering treatment services to drug abusing inmates. While the strategy is still being implemented and the provision of treatment services remains unsystematic, a range of drug treatment services are now being offered to inmates. The current analysis draws on a pre-release survey of 2,011 male and female inmates recruited through stratified random sampling from 76 facilities who were interviewed close to their release regarding drug use, offending, and treatment. Statistical analyses of the data indicated that almost two-thirds of inmates who reported drug problems prior to imprisonment received some form of drug treatment service while incarcerated. One in 10 of those inmates received intensive rehabilitation programming. The analysis further revealed that inmates sentenced to longer terms were significantly more likely to receive drug treatment services while incarcerated. The authors identify some outstanding challenges for the English and Welsh prison systems which include the need for greater availability of a variety of types of treatment programming, particularly for short-term inmates. Overall, the availability of drug treatment services in prison have vastly improved and preliminary evidence suggests they are at least partially successful. Tables, references