Drug and Alcohol Treatment for offenders – What Works? Mike Trace Chief Executive RAPt (Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust)

Reducing reoffending in the UK – what do we know after over30 years of investment? * Randomised Control Trials – NONE * PNC Studies – FEW (RAPt, Justice Data Lab) * Cohort Studies – MORE COMMON * Self-Report Evaluations - MANY

What have we learnt from professional experience? Significant proportion of offenders have substance misuse issues. Substance misuse a key driver of reoffending. Causality as well as correlation. Offenders with untreated substance misuse problems most likely to reoffend. With the right interventions, reoffending rates can be brought down significantly. Methadone maintenance and 12-step definitely, mutual aid and integrated approaches promising. Building motivation, peer role models, and therapeutic relationship are crucial.

Is the Justice Data Lab the answer? Important attempt to understand real outcomes, in a comparable format. Reoffending outcomes – one year reconviction, numbers and types, sustainability. Slow start, but growing number of studies being processed. No or limited effect. Need to process internal MoJ programmes. Need to resolve the problem of comparison groups with substance dependence.

So what are the lessons for Transforming Rehabilitation? Tackling substance misuse is central to achieving any PBR targets. A significant amount of what we have been doing has not been effective. DIP study interesting. Great potential to make a step change in results. Explore potential of recovery community concept within probation client group.

RAPt PNC Study 51% of offenders with drug problems who completed low intensity treatment reoffended in 12 months following release from prison. Compared to 31% of offenders reoffending who completed RAPts 12-Step Intensive rehabilitation within the same period.