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Back to Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) E-bulletinsDIP E-bulletin - January 2008
Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2008 edition of the monthly e-bulletin for the Drug Interventions Programme.
New research on DIP impact published
A new piece of research, published by the Home Office, examines the way that the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) engages and directs Class A drug misusers from the point of arrest or charge to the point of treatment, and examines their offending levels before and after identification by DIP.
The research has a number of findings that have implications for policy makers and others involved in the area of drugs, crime and harm reduction and in particular the use of interventions that are targeted at underlying factors driving criminal behaviour.
The data indicates that offending levels reduced following contact with DIP. Whilst not a full outcome evaluation, a comparison of offending levels before and after contact with DIP found that offending levels in the six months following DIP were lower than in the six months before DIP:
- The overall volume of offending by a cohort of 7,727 individuals was 26 per cent lower following DIP identification
- Around half of the drug misusers who come into contact with DIP through the custody suite showed a decline in offending of around 79 per cent in the six months following DIP contact
- Offending levels increased following DIP contact for around a quarter of positive testers
The research supports the approach of using the criminal justice system as one route for getting drug misusers into treatment:
- Rates of entry into treatment for DIP referrals were higher than for previous arrest referral programmes
- Levels of retention in treatment for DIP entrants equal those of non-criminal justice route entrants to treatment
The research also provides evidence about the role of semi-coercive approaches to improve engagement in programmes: the implementation of ‘Tough Choices’ and the introduction of a sanction for those who failed to attend an assessment with a drug worker has led to lower levels of attrition from the DIP programme than when less coercive measures were in place.
The executive summary (new window) and the full report (new window) are published on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website.
Plans for updating good practice guidance
The Good Practice Guide for Increasing Client Engagement, which is linked to the ICE Action Plan, was last updated in May 2007. The central policy team are currently pulling together material for a revised version to be published in the New Year and are inviting contributions.
The guide gives practical examples of work to make DIP processes more efficient in ways that help engage and retain clients more effectively. For example, it outlines a scheme in Calderdale for training magistrates, which provides a good model for other areas.
Anyone with new items or amendments for the guide should sent them to: Stephen.Polly@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Link to latest key messages
The latest key messages for DIP, providing a “core script” to describe the various elements of the Programme and the key points that should be understood about them, can be viewed on our website at any time.
View the latest key messages
