C2 Criminal Justice Social Work Interventions
Key Points 2004/05
Overview
- In 2004/05 148 diversion from prosecution cases were referred to drug treatment / education (Table C2.1).
- 601 probation orders with a condition of drug treatment/education were made (Table C2.1).
- 549 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO) were commenced. This was an increase from 412 in 2003/04 when they were introduced across most of Scotland (Table C2.1).
Five year trend 2000/01 — 2004/05
It should be noted that data on diversions from prosecution are only available from 2001/02 and data on Drug Treatment and Testing Orders are only available from 2003/04.
- Between 2001/02 and 2003/04 the number of cases diverted from prosecution rose, from 143 to 211. The number fell to 148 cases in 2004/05 (Table C2.1).
- The number of probation orders commenced with a condition of drug treatment / education rose from 440 in 2000/01 to 638 in 2001/02. Numbers then dropped to 554 in 2003/04 before rising again to 601 in 2004/05 (Table C2.1).
Geographical Profile
- Over half of the cases which were diverted from prosecution in 2004/05 were in South Lanarkshire (83 cases) (Table C2.1).
- Over a quarter of the probation orders made in 2004/05 were supervised in Glasgow City (165 orders). The two areas with the next highest number of orders were Fife with 64 orders and Falkirk with 56 (Table C2.1).
- In 2004/05 Edinburgh had the highest number of DTTOs (91 orders), followed by Glasgow City (88 orders), Fife (80 orders) and North and South Lanarkshire (78 orders) (Table C2.1).
Background information
This section provides information on the number of individuals entering treatment through criminal justice interventions. Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW) services in Scotland are provided by local authorities throughout the country. An aggregate return is submitted annually to the Scottish Executive by each local authority, covering data on: Social Enquiry Reports, Community Service Orders, Probation Orders, Supervised Attendance Orders, Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, Diversion from Prosecution and Throughcare. Information is provided here on the CJSW interventions which direct drug misusers to treatment and includes data on diversion from prosecution schemes, probation orders with a condition of treatment and Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO). The format and content of the aggregate return continues to evolve, to reflect new demands for information and to clarify points of definition in relation to particular data items. Some caution should therefore be exercised when making comparisons over time. The statistics presented reflect the information as known to the Scottish Executive Justice Department at January 2005 and may be subject to revision in future publications. Information presented here is based on data from the aggregate return made by local authorities to the Scottish Executive and therefore may differ from information previously published relating to criminal justice interventions.
Social Work diversion from prosecution schemes aim to provide persons accused of minor offences with support and advice in relation to problems associated with their offending. In such cases prosecution is deferred, subject to successful completion of the scheme.
Probation Orders provide one of the opportunities for Criminal Justice Social Work to focus on offending behaviour. Prior consent of the offender is required, and the order should be informed by an action plan in which the offender agrees to address their offending behaviour and its underlying causes. Probation Orders can be used very flexibly by the courts and additional conditions can be attached regarding the offender undertaking unpaid work, their place of residence, curfew (including electronic monitoring), financial recompense to the victim or attendance at a specialist programme such as alcohol or drug treatment.
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO) are a relatively new community sentence in Scotland, introduced for the first time in 1999. Due to the complex and resource intensive nature of the DTTO, the Order was rolled out across Scotland in phases. Between 1999 and 2002 the Order was rolled out to Glasgow, Fife and Aberdeen. In 2002/03 the Order became available in Edinburgh, Renfrewshire/Inverclyde and Tayside. By 2004/05 the DTTO Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) was available to the High Court and to Sheriff Courts for offenders resident in most local authority areas (with the exception of Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, East Lothian, East Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar, Falkirk, Highland, Moray, Orkney Islands, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, Stirling, West Lothian and West Dunbartonshire). Data on DTTOs began to be collected through the aggregate return in 2003/04. The DTTO is a high tariff disposal for offenders who might otherwise receive a custodial sentence. The Order contains features unique to a community disposal, including a requirement for regular reviews by the court and a requirement that the offender consent to frequent random drug tests throughout the lifetime of the Order.
Further information
Information on Criminal Justice Social Work is available at the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/criminal/16910/14763
Further statistics on Criminal Justice Social Work are also available from the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubSocialWork
Further information on Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO) is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/criminal/16906/6826
|
