Niacro

NIACRO works to reduce crime and its impact on people and communities

NIACRO’s RESPONSE TO THE CONSULTATION DOCUMENT:  “POLICY ON ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE”

OCTOBER 2006

INTRODUCTION:

NIACRO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation “Policy on Alcohol and Substance Misuse”.

NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) is a voluntary agency and registered charity providing services and policy comment within the criminal justice system.  NIACRO provides services under the headings of: promoting safer communities; working with children and young people who offend; providing services to families and children of offenders; supporting offenders and ex prisoners in the community as well as working with prisoners.

Given that alcohol and substance misuse are, in many cases, a component and sometimes central part of crime and criminal behaviour, NIACRO attaches significance to developments concerning alcohol and substance misuse.  Accordingly NIACRO would wish to make the following points with respect to the consultation document issued by the Northern Ireland Prison Service in July 2006.

1.         Introduction – Elements Of The Policy

NIACRO welcomes the reference in (d) to “treatment and rehabilitation” and in (f) to working “in concert” with other agencies. 

Principles include the offer of “therapeutic interventions equivalent to those provided in the community but appropriate to the prison environment – AND to the needs of people in prison.

2.         Local Action Plans

It is appreciated that there is the need for local policies and action plans to be developed for each prison. However they ought to have mechanisms in place to ensure prisoners are not disadvantaged in one establishment in comparison to another and that there is continuity of care between them.

3.         Monitoring

A comprehensive picture should be provided particularly in terms of reduction of supply and of demand.

The monitoring of treatment; rehabilitation and public health needs also to take account of post release information and whether or not treatment interventions have been connected to an effective resettlement plan.

4.         Reducing Supply

NIACRO is concerned by the use of drug dogs with visiting relatives etc.  “Rub down” searches of visitors should be sufficient and drug dogs should be used only with prisoners returning from visits.  Consideration should also be given to establishing all the channels that may be used as regards drug supply in closed institutions.

5.         Reducing Demand

There is little reference here to the reasons why some people abuse alcohol/drugs and significant factors which profile the (social integration) needs of the general prison population.  Factors such as poor levels of educational attainment, mental health difficulties, low self esteem, relationship breakdown and poor employment record need to be considered.  Reducing the demand for drugs/alcohol should in our view reference the need to support people to address some of these fundamental difficulties.

6.         Treatment etc

This policy should attempt to define the range of “treatments” available to people in prison.

Reference is made to the need to define “psychotherapy” for example but nowhere does the policy attempt to commit to the availability of psychotherapy in any of the prison establishments.

Counselling can be provided within fundamentally different approaches to addiction.

These need to be explored further and explained as well as some recognition of that misuse of drugs/alcohol can be associated with traumatic and damaging life events including abuse.

7.         Therapeutic Model for NIPS

NIACRO welcomes the proposal to appoint an Addictions Manager with a Health Service background.

Whilst there is commitment to the provision of a “seamless” drug intervention service from custody to community and in other sections of (eg 5.3) to cooperation with Resettlement teams (and others) there is a failure within this draft policy to fully acknowledge the need for any therapeutic interventions to be carried out – and followed through – in the context of a much wider plan which addresses a broad range of integration needs.

To be effective, arranging for Addiction Support Services post release MUST tie in with other necessary arrangements such as accommodation, family support, plans for employment.

8          Throughcare

The use of the term “throughcare” has long since been replaced by other more appropriate terminology and appears to survive only with the “NIPS Drug and Alcohol Strategy”.

NIACRO would take the view that the merits of the approaches outlined and the commitment to connection and follow up post release would be enhanced if linked to other developing processes and associated terminology such as “resettlement”, “reintegration”, “post release intervention”, etc.

Finally it is noted that within this policy there is no clear acknowledgement of the importance of family and significant others in supporting an individual prisoner to seek help with drug or alcohol misuse.

Perhaps reference to the importance of positive family support could be considered for inclusion in “underpinning principles” and as a guide for the development of local action plans in terms of how families might be involved in treatment plans etc.

October 2006