Twisting arms or a helping hand?: assessing the impact of 'coerced' and comparable 'voluntary' drug treatment options

Despite the rapid expansion of options to coerce drug-dependent offenders into treatment - culminating recently in the provisions of the 2005 Drugs Act and the government's Tough Choices' agenda - research findings to date are equivocal about their impact in reducing crime. This paper pres...

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Bibliographic Details
Contributors: McSweeney, Tim (Other) ; Stevens, Alex (Other) ; Hunt, Neil (Other) ; Turnbull, Paul J. (Other)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
Published: 2007
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2007, Volume: 47, Issue: 3, Pages: 470-490
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Drogentherapie
Drogentäter
Zwang
Freiwilligkeit
Auswirkungen
Rückfälligkeit
Description
Summary:Despite the rapid expansion of options to coerce drug-dependent offenders into treatment - culminating recently in the provisions of the 2005 Drugs Act and the government's Tough Choices' agenda - research findings to date are equivocal about their impact in reducing crime. This paper presents UK findings from a pan-European study on this issue. The results - at both national and international levels - reveal that court-mandated clients reported significant and sustained reductions in illicit drug use and offending behaviours, and improvements in other areas of social functioning. Those entering the same treatment services through non-criminal justice routes also reported similar reductions and improvements. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of recent policy developments
ISSN:0007-0955