Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

HC Deb 09 February 2004 vol 417 c1257W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of drug treatment and testing orders. [150353]

Paul Goggins

The evidence shows that Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) do work and that the longer offenders remain in treatment, the more likely they are to reduce their levels of offending and drug misuse (National Treatment Outcome Research Study 2001). An evaluation of the 3 DTTO pilots found that, on average, offenders committed 75 per cent. fewer offences while on the order and reduced their spend on drugs by over 90 per cent.

A two-year follow up reconviction study of offenders from the three DTTO pilot sites found that: There was a significant reduction in the average number of convictions per year in the two years following the order in all three pilot sites; and Those who had completed DTTOs had a reconviction rate of only 53 per cent. compared with 91 per cent. for revokees, and reduced their annual conviction rate to levels significantly below those of the previous five years.