News

For young people who commit crimes to fund a drug habit, the police station will become an unlikely source of support under recently announced government plans.

Arrest referral schemes, targeting drug-using offenders in custody with treatment and advice, are being extended to under-18s to prevent children becoming life-long offenders.

Adults in custody have had access to the schemes since April, but this extension puts prevention further up the youth justice agenda, ministers say.


Ten pilot schemes will test how best to engage young drug users and identify the type of help they need. Following arrest, young people will be referred to prevention programmes or treatment depending on their individual needs.

The initiative is the latest attempt to help vulnerable children with disruptive lifestyles. There is evidence of a disproportionately high level of substance misuse among young offenders. But research has shown that the connection is not a straightforward one of cause and effect, and a range of responses are needed.

Tim Bateman, senior policy development officer at rehabilitation agency Nacro, explains: "Drugs are not necessarily a gateway through to offending but they are one of the underlying risk factors."

The extension of arrest referral schemes to juveniles was generally welcomed, although with some reservations. As the scheme is voluntary, some experts believe convincing young offenders of its merits may prove tricky. However, it is hoped the scheme will provide a clearer picture of how many offenders have substance misuse problems.

In 2001, youth offending teams (YOTs) identified more than 27,000 young offenders with substance misuse problems. YOT workers said the substance misuse was either quite or very strongly associated with the young person's offending in more than 10,000 cases.

Preliminary statistics from a Youth Justice Board evaluation of substance misuse services within the prison system revealed that most offenders had regularly used an illegal drug before they were arrested.

Other research has shown that violent crime is linked to serious alcohol abuse and together the statistics form a convincing argument for tackling substance misuse together with offending behaviour.


Staff working with young offenders agree there have been several positive developments recently. Every YOT now has a named substance misuse worker, funded centrally by the YJB, and Bateman believes these staff are well placed to help youngsters with the lowest levels of need. However, finding help for those with the most serious drug and alcohol problems is more problematic, he warns. "There is a clear lack of residential provision for those with high needs."

Services for young offenders in custody are equally embryonic. Anne Owers, chief prisons inspector, recently admitted that some drug programmes for 18-20 year olds are inappropriate.

Frances Crook, the Howard League for Penal Reform's director, says young drug users in prison for short periods are not recruited on to treatment programmes and miss out on crucial support. "There is nothing in place when they're released and very often the first thing they do is go in search of a fix."

Drugs education charity, Drugscope, is involved in several projects to develop training materials and good practice documents for treatment programmes on behalf of the YJB.

Frank Warburton, acting chief executive, says it is still difficult to get an accurate and detailed picture of what services are available on the ground.

"There is a sense that the quality has been variable and there is a need to promote minimum standards to bring uniformity to provision, regardless of the setting."