Evidence-based practice? The National Probation Service’s work with alcohol-misusing offenders
| DOI | 10.1177/02645505100570030907 |
| Published date | 01 September 2010 |
| Date | 01 September 2010 |
| Author | Emmeline Taylor |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The final section of the Government’s responses is a broad category ‘Overarching
Systems’, comprised of thirteen recommendations. One such recommendation was
that the Offender Assessment System (OASys) should be replaced. This has
been accepted by the Government and NOMS will work alongside mental health
professionals to develop mental health related questions in the next version of OASys.
There are many other recommendations outlined in the Bradley Report, and a full
set of corresponding responses from the Government in the Ministry of Justice’s
report. The findings and recommendations from Bradley’s independent review
should lead to major changes in the way offenders with mental health problems are
supported and treated in England if they are implemented, making substantial
improvement to many thousands of people’s lives.
Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (2009) The Bradley Report and the Govern-
ment’s Response: the Implications for Mental Health Services for Offenders. The
report contains the full references to the Bradley report and the subsequent Ministry
of Justice report. It is available for download from: http://www.scmh.org.uk/pdfs/
briefing38_Bradley_report.pdf.
Emmeline Taylor
Greater Manchester Probation Trust
Evidence-based practice? The National Probation
Service’s work with alcohol-misusing offenders
The Ministry of Justice commissioned the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR)
to examine the National Probation Service’s work with alcohol-misusing offenders.
Key areas of exploration were procedures for identifying and intervening with offen-
ders presenting with alcohol problems; compliance with the principles set out in
Models of care for alcohol misusers (MoCAM); and arrangements for the commis-
sioning and delivery of alcohol treatment requirements.
The research design incorporated a number of different methodologies, includ-
ing: telephone surveys with the policy lead responsible for the coordination and
delivery of services in probation areas; 185 random offender case file reviews in
six purposively sampled sites; 64 interviews with stakeholders; and, analysis of all
Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) activity data for England and Wales.
The key findingsdemonstrated that probationareas were offeringa broad range of
alcohol-relatedinterventions.However, a number of issues were foundto be impeding
efforts to ensure moreeffective commissioning and delivery, in particular a lack of:
resources and dedicated funding for the provision of alcohol interventions and
treatment;
guidance and protocols to inform the targeting of available interventions;
appropriate and accessible alcohol treatment provision;
probation staff confidence, skills and knowledge about alcohol-related issues;
success with engaging and influencing local commissioners to afford greater
priority and resources to work with offenders with alcohol related issues.
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