Service areas
Click the links to find out more about our Service Areas. Or find out about projects and services across England & Wales .
Criminal Justice Services
CRI works with adults and young people with substance misuse problems whose behaviour brings them into contact with the criminal justice service.
We focus on combating substance misuse and the crime committed to fund addiction.
We deliver many of our services in prisons and police custody cells to provide therapeutic interventions at times of crisis and support and motivation to engage in treatment. We particularly specialise in working with people with entrenched substance misuse problems who are committing a disproportionate amount of crime and receiving high tariff sentences.
Our services include:
- Drug Interventions Programme (DIP)
- Enhanced Drug Arrest Referral
- Priority and Persistent Offenders
- Prison Drug Programmes
Drug Interventions Programme
CRI delivers a range of services as part of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). DIP services are designed to provide integrated care pathways for people with substance misuse problems using strategies such as enhanced arrest referral, drug treatment and testing orders, prison resettlement services and aftercare. The DIP approach encourages or requires participation in treatment services. In addition, individuals are tracked and supported through the criminal justice process to prevent them from falling through gaps in service provision and lapsing into offending behaviour.
DIP brings together a range of agencies, including the police, probation, courts, health services and the voluntary sector, to help them work together more effectively. CRI is involved in implementing the DIP strategy in many parts of the country and delivers a range of DIP roles that include strategic management, arrest referral, tracking and data analysis.
As part of the DIP programme, CRI provides Criminal Justice Intervention Team (CJIT) and link workers whose remit is to engage with offenders moving from custody to treatment programmes. Their objective is to ensure that people stay in treatment or fulfil the terms of court orders. The workers also provide a link into the community from criminal justice settings and offer an outreach service for those recently released. Their role can include accompanying clients to magistrate's courts and police interviews, and supporting individuals through the criminal justice process.
Enhanced Drug Arrest Referral
CRI delivers Enhanced Drug Arrest Referral services as part of the DIP. The service includes individual assessment, community support planning, assertive outreach and referral to a range of support services. Other services linked into drug arrest referral work include custody based needle exchange and links with primary care services to provide rapid prescribing where required. Specialist young person's drug arrest referral services are offered in some areas in partnership with youth offending teams.
CRI delivers training services to police officers, custody assistants and other criminal justice professionals to develop a better understanding of the service and its mechanisms. Enhanced arrest referral leads to greater partnership working between agencies and strengthens the referral options available to individuals leaving custody. Local mentors are also involved in delivering community based aspects of the service and receive accredited training.
Priority and Persistent Offenders
CRI provides specialist drug and alcohol workers who are seconded into police and probation service teams working with Priority and Persistent Offenders (PPOs) including prolific shoplifters. These teams actively seek out persistent offenders to enlist them in treatment programmes, enabling those who comply to maintain their liberty.
CRI is piloting an innovative project with 'persistent' shoplifters in Brighton that involves assertive outreach with individuals known to be responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. This project demonstrates a strong approach to partnership through close working with the street services team, the drug action team, the local authority and the national retail crime unit.
Find out how the link between shoplifting and drug use is being broken in Brighton & Hove
In Eastbourne a specialist PPO housing worker is helping ex-offenders to obtain accommodation as a step towards stabilising their lives.
Prison Drug Programmes
CRI provides a range of prison services including CARAT assessment and referral programmes and PASRO structured treatment programmes. These services are designed to support individuals with substance misuse problems and provide advice and information as well as therapeutic drug treatment and rehabilitation.
CRI delivers these services in partnership with prison and probation staff. This joint working provides a seamless approach that breaks down the separation between uniform and non-uniform staff helping to improve relationships with prisoners.
Treatment programmes are based on cognitive behavioural therapy and address wider issues associated with substance misuse such as anti social behaviour, poor cognitive skills and difficulty with self-management. They also look at substance misuse, harm minimisation, relapse management, enhancing motivation, offending behaviour and specific advice on crack and stimulant use. Some of these prison services use peer mentors and a 'buddying' system to provide inmates with additional support.
CRI's resettlement programmes provide community support for those returning to the community which includes specialist housing provision and structured day care as well as advice on relapse management, harm minimisation and safe drug use.
