An independent study by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (at Birkbeck, University of London) has found that probationers on Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) reduced the overall rate of their known offending by 60 per cent. However the rate of reduction was identical to that for a matched comparison group of alcohol misusers supervised prior to the introduction of ATRs - though it found the ATR group had different and often more complex needs. This is likely to have presented a range of challenges to the Probation Trust in meeting the supervision and treatment needs of the ATR cohort.
The research also indicated that over the life of the ATR there had been a 37 per cent overall reduction in the self-reported number of drinking days (as measured by the Treatment Outcomes Profile), with nearly half (46%) moving from dependency during the course of the requirement. However high levels of on-going alcohol-related need were still identified even for those completing the ATR. The authors concluded that the main implications of their research relate to developing effective strategies to ensure that:
- ATRs and overall court orders reach completion;
- Offending outcomes for a large minority of the ATR group are improved;
- Adequate provisions for on-going throughcare and aftercare in non-CJS settings, post-ATR completion, are in place.
See here for a summary of key findings from the research, funded via the National Offender Management (NOMS) alcohol best practice initiative. See here for NOMS Alcohol Interventions Guidance.
See here for further Offender Health documents and resources and evaluations of ATRs in Cheshire and a Liverpool ATR pilot.
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