Get Out of Jail and Stay Out a Clear Winner in Cutting the Rate of Recidivism
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Summary
Drug treatment and testing orders (DTTO) were introduced in 1999 to try to break the link between drug abuse and re-offending. Before then, prison was the usual destination for offenders convicted of crimes committed to fuel a drug habit. Since then, however, offenders have been offered the chance to undergo community-based treatment for their addiction as an alternative to jail. They must undergo mandatory drug testing and can be sent to prison if they revoke the terms of an order. They are available in most Scottish courts. Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, wants them to be the norm across the country by mid-2005.
In theory, they are a good idea. Anything that cuts recidivism rates and addresses the needs of offenders while serving justice should be tried. The orders seek to achieve all three aims. But do they work in practice? Research into the impact on re-offending of the initial two years of the first DTTO schemes in Scotland, in Glasgow and Fife, shows that they can deliver. Of those offenders who successfully completed an order, nearly half did not re-offend for the next two years. Even among those who did commit another offence, most new convictions were for relatively minor offences such as shoplifting, theft from cars, petty assaults and breach of the peace.See the full content of this document
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Get Out of Jail and Stay Out a Clear Winner in Cutting the Rate of Recidivism
The researchers say of the findings: "The magnitude of the apparent improvements is ...
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