Boris Johnson is lobbying the Government for permission to trial a scheme that would see Londoners convicted of alcohol-fuelled crime forced to stay sober or face prison. The idea is based on a reportedly successful scheme for drink-drivers in South Dakota where offenders are made to pay for their own regular sobriety tests, or face court proceedings. See reports in The Guardian and Telegraph.
Speaking on a BBC radio 4 feature, Kit Malthouse, Johnson's deputy mayor for policing, said London faced a "disproportionate" problem, with around 50% more alcohol-related crimes per 1,000 than the rest of the country (see regional alcohol figures and an assessment of the claim from fullfact.org). Malthouse argued that the scheme was "win, win" as it "costs the taxpayer nothing".
Don Shenker of Alcohol Concern said he was "dubious about the long term success" of the idea, instead highlighting that alcohol arrest referral programmes had been shown to be effective. However he said the Government was not backing these schemes which were based on a more successfull approach of brief advice (IBA). Kit Malthouse said there was no reason the two could not be run together.
A Guardian comment has argued the scheme is flawed on many levels. Currently Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) are often used as an alternative to a custodial sentences for those with alcohol dependency. See here for full guidance on addressing alcohol-related offending, and recent documents on IBA for offenders.
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