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Prison & Offender Drug Treatment

  • Last modified date:
    14 July 2008

Prison drug treatment

Prison drug treatment

Prisons have a comprehensive drug treatment framework in place to address the different needs of drug misusers, and to reduce the supply of drugs coming into prison. 

The Department of Health and the Ministry of Justice fund the Integrated Drug Treatment System for prisons (IDTS).   Drug treatment involves interventions, such as detoxification, prescription of substitute drugs (e.g. methadone), and psychological support. IDTS brings together all interventions into one system so they work together in the most effective way, and ensure continuity with community treatment at both the start and finish of custody.

Department of Health funding for IDTS in 2007/8 is £12.7 million.  This rises significantly to £24 million in 2008/9, £39 million in 2009/10 and £43 million in 2010/11.  This extra money will ensure better quality and more consistent drug treatment across all prisons and offers a real chance for offenders to break free from a cycle of drugs and crime.

The National Treatment Agency (NTA) leads the delivery of IDTS together with other partner organisations.  Further information is available on the NTA website by following this link.

Offender drug treatment

Offender drug treatment

The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is a key part of the Government's strategy for tackling drugs and reducing crime.  The programme aims to get adult drug-misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment and other support.   Drug-using offenders are being targeted through a range of programmes that aim to drug-test them on arrest and treat them at every stage within the Criminal Justice System.  And it’s working: drug-related crime among those referred for drug treatment through the Criminal Justice System has fallen by a fifth since the Programme started in 2003 and record numbers of people are being helped with their drug misuse.

The Home Office is the lead partner in delivering the DIP, working together with the Department of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the National Treatment Agency as well as the police, prison, probation services, courts, treatment providers and those who offer wraparound services such as housing and job-seeker support.

Over 75,000 drug-misusing offenders have accessed treatment since 2003.  The Department of Health is on track to support the Home Office’s target of 1,000 drug misusing offenders into treatment each week by 2008.

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