Work with criminal justice system

The relationship between problem drug use and crime is complex. Even so, all the evidence indicates that problem drug users are responsible for a large percentage of acquisitive crime, such as shoplifting and burglary.

As a direct consequence of the crime they commit, these problem drug users are highly likely to end up in the criminal justice system at some point. Some will serve community sentences, others will be sent to prison. In either case, the criminal justice system now compels them to confront their drug problems.

Drug treatment for offenders in the community has improved enormously over the past decade, in terms of availability and quality. Prisons are now catching up, with the introduction of a new treatment regime – the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS).