Drug Interventions Programme.
The Herts Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is a critical part of the Government's strategy for tackling drugs.
Initially called the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme, it began in 2003 as a three-year programme to develop and integrate measures for directing adult drug-misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment. It attracts significant public funding and is continuing beyond the original three-year period, but with the aim of gradually ensuring that the constituent interventions and processes become the established way of working with drug misusing offenders across England and Wales.
The programme, a world first, involves criminal justice and treatment agencies working together with other services to provide a tailored solution for adults - particularly those who misuse Class A drugs - who commit crime to fund their drug misuse. Delivery at a local level is through drug action teams, using integrated teams with a case management approach to offer access to treatment and support. This begins at an offender's first point of contact with the criminal justice system, through custody, court, sentence and beyond into resettlement.
The most innovative and challenging element of the programme has been the creation of multi-agency local partnerships such as Police, Probation and a range of Turning Point Services who work together to provide continuity in approach and support of drug-misusing offenders leaving prison and treatment who might otherwise "fall through the net". As a result of this initiative drug-misusing offenders get help through treatment and support, communities suffer less crime and the taxpayer saves money as criminal justice costs are reduced.
A critical element of Herts DIP is delivery of a broad range of effective treatments, which is cheaper and more effective than putting drug-misusing offenders through the criminal justice system repeatedly without support to help them tackle their drugs problem.
Overall effectiveness of the programme is being measured by the entry of numbers of drug-misusing offenders into treatment and by the impact of treatment in reducing levels of crime.
Herts DIP is based in Welwyn Garden City, however provides a countywide service covering all the main Police Stations and Courts throughout the county.
If you would like to know more about Herts DIP you can contact us on freephone 0800 2942 422.