§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to improve the quality and coverage of prison-based drug treatment programmes. [92114]
§ Hilary BennA framework is already in place to address the wide-ranging needs of drug-misusing prisoners and includes:
- detoxification in all local and remand prisons;
- Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARATs) in all prisons;
- 60 intensive treatment programmes;
- voluntary drug testing available in all prisons.
Delivery is supported by a range of quality standards:
- minimum standards for clinical services for substance misusers and for CARATs;
- independent accreditation of treatment programmes by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel (formerly the Joint Accreditation Panel—with the aim of having all programmes accredited by March 2004;
- separate auditing is also conducted by the Standards Audit Unit, in accordance with PSO 0200—Performance Standards Manual.
Additionally, the Service is working closely with the National Treatment Agency to ensure its models of care, treatment standards and standards for drug workers are, where appropriate, being applied to prison-based work.
The Government's 2002 Spending Review made provision for significant, additional funding for action on drugs misuse. In particular, investment in aftercare and throughcare will help ensure the gains made whilst prisoners are in custody are not lost on their release. Provision has also been made to boost treatment in prisons.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners in the United Kingdom who would benefit from a programme of treatment for drugs dependency. [92118]
§ Hilary BennRecords of the number of prisoners who would benefit from a programme of treatment are not kept centrally. Data from the Office for National Statistics show that around 80 per cent. of prisoners had used drugs at some point before coming into prison, with 54 per cent. reporting drug dependency in the year prior to custody.
A framework is in place to address the wide-ranging needs of drug-misusing prisoners and includes:
- detoxification in all local and remand prisons;
- Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARATs) in all prisons;
- 60 intensive treatment programmes;
- voluntary drug testing available in all prisons.
Delivery is supported by a range of quality standards:
- minimum standards for clinical services for substance misusers and for CARATs;
- independent accreditation of treatment programmes by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel (formerly the Joint Accreditation Panel)—with the aim of having all programmes accredited by March 2004;
756W - separate auditing is also conducted by the Standards Audit Unit, in accordance with PSO 0200—Performance Standards Manual.
Additionally, the Service is working closely with the National Treatment Agency to ensure its models of care, treatment standards and standards for drug workers are, where appropriate, being applied to prison-based work.
The Government's 2002 Spending Review made provision for significant, additional funding for action on drugs misuse. In particular, investment in aftercare and throughcare will help ensure the gains made while prisoners are in custody are not lost on their release. Provision has also been made to boost treatment in prisons.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the routes by which drugs enter prisons; and what proportion enter through external visits. [92121]
§ Hilary BennBy definition drug smuggling is a covert activity which is extremely difficult to quantify and will vary between prisons. The main identified routes by which attempts are made to smuggle drugs into prisons include:
- social visits;
- mail;
- perimeter breach; and
- reception
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places on drug treatment programmes are available to prisoners in(a) England and (b) Kent. [92101]
§ Hilary BennThe Prison Service has in place a comprehensive framework to address the needs of drug-misusing prisoners.
Delivery targets are given in the table.
Intervention All prisons' targets (by March 2004) Kent targets (2002-03) CARATs1 25,000 1,000 Detoxification 27,000 210 Rehabilitation programmes and TCs2 5,700 406 VDT compacts3 28,000 2,234 1 Counselling assessment referral advice through care. 2 Therapeutic communities. 3 Voluntary drug testing.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to ensure that arrestees who test positive for drugs are directed into treatment programmes. [92112]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthIn the areas in England and Wales where the provisions for drug testing persons in police detention are currently being implemented, it is part of the drug testing procedure that those who test positive for a specified Class A drug are given specific opportunity to see an arrest referral worker, with a view to assessment of their drug misuse and referral to appropriate treatment.
757WMeasures being introduced as part of the Government's new comprehensive programme of criminal justice interventions to get drug misusers into treatment include the enhancement of existing arrest referral schemes and the expansion and extension of the drug testing arrangements under which the police can test persons, after charge, for specified Class A drugs. We are also taking forward in the Criminal Justice Bill the proposal to pilot a presumption against bail for those who refuse to be assessed as to their dependency on, or propensity to misuse, specified Class A drugs, or who then refuse to undergo relevant follow-up action recommended.
The programme will be backed up by improvements in treatment capacity and local delivery.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners in Kent tested positive for drugs in each of the past five years. [92113]
§ Hilary BennThe proportion of prisoners who tested positive under random mandatory drug testing (MDT) in Kent prisons is given in the table.
Percentage positive 1997–98 13.6 1998–99 11.9 1999–2000 9.8 2000–01 8.8 2001–02 9.4
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to address the availability of drugs in prisons. [92120]
§ Hilary BennA range of measures is in place to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons. Elements include:
- passive and active drug dogs;
- a range of fixed and low-level furniture in visits areas;
- closed circuit television in visits areas;
- measures to deal with visitors who smuggle drugs into prisons;
- mandatory drug testing; and
- agreed searching policies.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in the past year underwent treatment for drugs dependency in(a) England and (b) Kent. [92119]
§ Hilary BennThe numbers of prisoners engaging in some form of drugs treatment during 2001–02 are given in the table.
Intervention All prisons(England and Wales) Kent prisons CARATS' 39,279 initial assessments 1,697 Detoxification 40,865 entrants 616 Rehabilitation programmes and therapeutic communities 4,691 entrants 539 Voluntary drug testing compacts 27,041 compacts signed 2,432 1 Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services.