Drug Interventions Programme
Drug Rehabilitation Requirement
The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) aims to help increase the use of community sentences with drug treatment and rehabilitative requirements for adults where it is deemed appropriate by the courts on the advice of probation officers and lawyers involved in the case.
The Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) is one of the 12 requirements which can be included in a community sentence. It gradually replaced the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) for offences committed on or after 4 April 2005.
The DRR is the main delivery route for drug interventions within community sentences for adult offenders. It involves treatment (either in the community or in a residential setting) and regular drug testing. The National Probation Service also has specific accredited programmes to tackle drug related offending. These would generally be used in the medium to higher sentencing bands alongside a DRR, as a requirement of the community order.
DRRs can be used instead of custody but are not a soft option. They offer the courts an intensive and effective vehicle for tackling the drug misuse and offending of many of the most serious and persistent drug misusing offenders.
DRRs are aimed at a wider target group then the DTTO and treatment is more closely tailored to individual needs. In many cases, such orders have succeeded in engaging people in treatment for more than 12 weeks, which is regarded as a key milestone for many drug misusers in making real progress towards a drug-free lifestyle.
Guidance from the Probation Service on DRRs (new window) is also available.
