Teenage offenders are to be tested for drug abuse under a £40m
Home Office programme.
The Youth Crime Programme will use new powers proposed in the
Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill to test 14- to 17-year-old
offenders for heroin and cocaine misuse.
The initiative will be piloted in areas particularly affected by
drug-related crime before it is rolled out more widely.
The programme is included in £107m of new funding unveiled by
home office minister Bob Ainsworth at the second national
conference on young people and substance misuse.
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Other measures include £22m for local authorities to provide
specialist workers to help young people at risk of drug misuse, the
creation of 50 Positive Futures projects worth £15m to involve
young people in sport and £30m for prevention and treatment in
juvenile custodial institutions.
