£8.25m for novel drug related crime initiative

In an effort to keep criminals committing low-level crime to feed a drug addiction out of prison, specialist judges in special courts will be appointed to tackle their substance abuse without recourse to automatic custodial sentences.

Three courts in Liverpool, Birmingham and Teesside are participating in an £8.25m pilot scheme where offenders will be subject to a “wrap-around” service of supervision orders, education & housing support and frequent, random drug testing to ensure compliance and, ultimately, rehabilitation. However, if they breach these orders they will then be subject to custodial sentences of up to 28 days for a maximum of three times without being ejected from the programme.

The offender will see the same judge every month over the course of the programme. As they make progress, conditions will be relaxed as a type of reward system. Government officials in the Ministry of Justice consider the £8.25m cost of the pilot a price worth paying against a cost to the Exchequer of about £22bn for drug addiction.