The Government has published its 10-year drugs strategy (06 December 2021). HM Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell has given this response:

“We welcome many aspects of the Government’s new drugs strategy including additional ring-fenced funding for targeted treatment and recovery work with the 300,000 people whose drug-related offending drives half of all acquisitive crime.

“I met with Minister Kit Malthouse in August to share the key findings and recommendations from our joint inspection on drugs treatment and recovery in the community. We concluded government departments needed to work more closely together, so I am pleased to see this is a cross-government strategy with a clear role for the Probation Service.

“We estimate almost 75,000 people on probation in the community have a drugs problem, yet probation services referred fewer than 3,000 individuals to specialist treatment in 2019-2020. An increase in referrals by probation services to specialist drugs services must, therefore, be a crucial measure of this strategy’s success.

“In our inspection, two-thirds of our sample fell out of drugs treatment when they left prison and returned to the community. This strategy recognises that the Probation Service and healthcare services must work together to ensure individuals continue to access treatment that supports their recovery.

“While any funding increase is to be welcomed, non-financial support is vital too. The Probation Service must provide its practitioners with appropriate training, manageable workloads, and access to specialist services to work effectively with people on probation who have drugs problems.”

Notes

• HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of probation and youth offending services.
• This statement includes findings from our joint thematic inspection on community-based drug treatment and recovery work with people on probation with the Care Quality Commission, which was published in August 2021.