First prison alcohol treatment programme wins award

The Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt) has won accreditation for its alcohol dependency treatment programme, awarded by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) funded RAPt in 2006 to develop a programme for alcohol-dependant offenders in HMP Bullingdon. Whilst there has been significant investment in drug treatment in prisons, the alcohol specific treatment programme is the first of its kind. A release on the Addiction Today site indicated significant  successes through preliminary findings  including:

• Most men accessing the programme are in custody for violent offences connected to their alcohol use
• The programme can substantially reduce offenders’ risk of re-offending
• Participants show increased awareness of the impact of their crimes on their victims
• After treatment, 77% of participants rated their risk of relapse as low or very low
• Participants completing the programme continue to access support to help them stay sober and avoid the risk of re-offending on release