Meeting the needs of prisoners with a drug or alcohol problem: No mean feat

Abstract

The case for providing prisoners with a drug or alcohol problem with access to effective treatment and support services is long standing and beyond question. Previous research has shown that rates of re-offending and other adverse outcomes can be reduced to the extent that such treatment services are provided to prisoners. However, as obvious as the importance of providing treatment may be this is not the same thing as ensuring that the types and range of services provided to prisoners are commensurate with the evident need. In this paper we describe the characteristics of prisoners engaged in enhanced drug and alcohol treatment within Drug Recovery Wings in prisons in England and Wales. This study which has involved structured interviews with 322 prisoners beginning enhanced drug recovery wing treatment has demonstrated the wide ranging needs of prisoners both in terms of their substance use, their mental health, their attitudes towards criminality and their motivations for treatment. On the basis of the data presented here it is essential that the support provided to prisoners with a drug or alcohol problem extends well beyond the focus on drug treatment itself to address major long standing and deep rooted areas of difficulty in the prisoners’ lives.