§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes his Department has made to the requirement for young offenders to be tested for drugs; and what plans he has to require young offenders taking drugs to undertake treatment programmes. [55139]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced a new community sentence aimed at drug misusing offenders who commit offences to fund their drugs habit: the drug treatment and testing order. It is available to the courts in respect of offenders aged 16 or over and is currently being piloted under the management of the probation service in Liverpool, Croydon and Gloucestershire. Offenders who are considered to be susceptible to treatment and who express willingness to do so, will have to undergo treatment for their drug misuse, monitored by random and compulsory testing. Plans are also in hand to pilot the new order in Scotland.
The Act also introduces the action plan order for 10 to 17 year-olds, which is a new community sentence aimed at addressing young offenders' offending behaviour. An action plan order will be tailored for the individual young offender and may include elements such as, for example, drug treatment programmes.
In 1995, the Prison Service introduced a programme of mandatory drug testing. In this scheme all offenders, including young offenders, may be tested for drug misuse. The Prison Service is currently addressing access to, as well as availability and quality of, treatment programmes for young offenders held in Prison Service establishments. This is a key element of the Prison Service's Drug Strategy launched in May this year.