No easy answers on the road to rehabilitation
Drug abuse and the crime committed to fund it blight individuals and communities across England and Wales. Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI) is a national charity using rehabilitation and the opportunities provided by the UK Drug Strategy to transform individual lives and communities. The process of rehabilitation can begin at the most unlikely of moments, and CRI has often used the opportunity provided by the enforcement of court orders or the intervention of police officers on the street to encourage participation.
A bold approach
The key to rehabilitation is to engage with individuals and motivate them to change,and we make tough demands on our service users, challenging them to raise their aspirations to a better life. In return, they have high expectations of us and of what we can help them to achieve. We take a bold and energetic approach: we know it is possible for people to change and we inspire our service users to believe in the possibility of transformation and rehabilitation. Drug markets move fast and we need to be equally fleet of foot and flexible enough to change our approach to respond to changing needs. The secret of success is to spot opportunities,develop services to fill gaps,and provide answers at every turn for those convinced that there is no way out.
Tough challenges
We target the most difficult and hard to reach groups. Rehabilitation is a particular challenge with marginalised people and we work in partnership with the police,prisons,health service,education and employment providers to tailor our support to meet their diverse needs. We consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to deliver services and work with challenging groups,and we are not afraid to meet the demands for success that are placed upon us by both commissioners and service users.
Across the country we are combating the repeat patterns of offending that accompany drug use,getting increasing numbers of people into treatment and supporting families to cope with and manage the drug abuse of a family member.
We are working with young people who are already caught up in a cycle of crime to support a drug habit, and supporting those whose social isolation and lack of education place them at risk of involvement with crime.
We are working with the street homeless, beggars, drug dealers and sex workers whose presence on the streets damages them and their local communities,and we are supporting those leaving prison to regain their independence and find a new path in life.
What really matters
The real measure of success is our ability to improve the lives of
individuals and local communities. For CRI,making demands of our
service users and then supporting their efforts has been the key to
the transformation that makes rehabilitation a reality. Our bold
approach works, and our national reputation has been built upon
delivering effective services at the local level.
