Drug Interventions Programme
Conditional cautioning
Conditional Cautioning means that a condition that is conducive to restoration or rehabilitation can be attached to a police caution as an alternative to prosecution. Where the condition is not met, the offender may be charged and prosecuted with the original offence.
Conditional Cautioning with a DIP drug rehabilitative condition, which can be tailored to the individual and their drug use and offending, has been operating in a small number of early implementation areas since 2005 and is now being rolled out across England and Wales. The current aim is for each police force to operate it in at least one Basic Command Unit by mid-2007 with force-wide coverage by 2008.
The measure provides an early opportunity to identify drug-misusing offenders and engage them in appropriate treatment and support before their lifestyle spirals into a more serious cycle of drug misuse and crime. It is not a soft option and calls for a genuine and practical commitment to an individually-tailored programme. There is a sanction of prosecution for the original offence if the offender does not comply.
The early implementation sites have been evaluated to help draw up revised guidance drawing on effective practice and this has been circulated to all areas.
