Criminal Justice Alcohol Project
| Description | Delivers alcohol interventions within the criminal justice system |
|---|---|
| Setting | Various settings within the criminal justice system, such as custody suites |
| Populationting | Adults with alcohol misuse problems who come into contact with the criminal justice system |
| Intervention summary | Alcohol misuse workers deliver brief interventions and access to more intensive, structured treatment interventions |
| Outcome Summary | Increased number of 18-35 year olds accessing alcohol treatment services, and a low incidence of re-offending in people who have accessed the scheme. |
| Startup Cost | The start up costs covered recruitment of workers and production of publicity materials for the scheme (approximately £5000). |
| Running Cost | It costs approximately £70 000 each year in staffing and resources to operate. |
| Funding | The project is funded by the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. |
| Started | April 2005 |
| Ended | It is a continuous offering which is being monitored. |
| Location | Salford, England |
| Contact |
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Background
The Criminal Justice Alcohol Project in Salford delivers alcohol interventions within the criminal justice system. Offenders can choose to access the scheme on a voluntary basis. During 2007 the scheme will be extended so that accessing alcohol treatment can be a requirement of a conditional caution, police bail condition or a community order (Alcohol Treatment Requirement).
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
To reduce alcohol related offending, and in particular re-offending by alcohol misusers.
What local organisations are involved?
The project is multi-disciplinary and involves the police, probation officers, the magistrates court, the community alcohol service and the Drug and Alcohol Action Team. A specific steering group has been set up to lead the Criminal Justice Alcohol Project, as a sub group of the local multi-agency Alcohol Reference Group.
How many people are running this project and who are they?
One criminal justice alcohol worker is employed by Salford Alcohol Service to run this project and a second worker is due to be appointed in 2007.
What local population are you targeting?
The project specifically concentrates on adults with alcohol misuse problems that come into contact with the criminal justice system.
How many people are you targeting?
The project currently sees approximately 25 people each month. This is expected to increase significantly in 2007 when there will be a second worker in post.
Interventions
What interventions are you using to address the problem?
The multi-agency project involves an alcohol misuse worker delivering brief, early interventions in settings such as custody suites to reach alcohol misusers in settings likely to enable quick, introductory counselling and advice. Since 2005 these interventions have been offered on a voluntary basis. In 2007, a police bail conditions scheme, conditional caution, and alcohol treatment requirements will be introduced to encourage more offenders to access treatment.
Is the project design based on evidence? If so, please state reference.
This project is based on the experience of other areas which had previously introduced such schemes, for example Dudley has been operating a bail conditions scheme for a number of years.
Outcome
What outcomes or planned outcomes are you measuring?
We are measuring whether there is a reduction in re-offending among those who take part in the scheme.
Do you have any outcomes or results yet? If so, what are they?
The project has increased the number of 18-35 year olds accessing alcohol treatment services.
Since the scheme began in 2005, only 20 people have been referred to the scheme on more than one occasion as a result of re-offending.
Is your project relevant to a government target or guideline?
Salford was selected for the second wave of the Tackling Violent Crime Programme 1 , a key objective of which is to reduce alcohol related violent crime. Reducing re-offending is a target in the city’s local Community Safety Strategy, and increasing the number of offenders referred to alcohol treatment services is now the Local Area Agreement target for Salford.
Feedback
What obstacles did you have to overcome to set up this project?
There were no major obstacles in introducing the voluntary arrest referral scheme. However, it took several weeks to fully raise awareness of the new service among referring agencies.
All partners have been keen to introduce conditional cautions, police bail conditions and alcohol treatment requirements, but identifying funding to implement these schemes has been difficult. Providing evidence of the reduction in re-offending achieved in areas operating similar schemes was important in securing funding.
What have you learned about the project so far?
We have learned that there is a massive scope for expanding the provision of alcohol interventions within the criminal justice system and this is why we are now extending the project to include provision of police bail conditions and alcohol treatment requirements.
What would you do differently?
Nothing