Half of drug rehabilitation appointments missed
Police officers are encountering the same drug-dependent offenders cycling through the system because a sentencing option designed to break that pattern is not being consistently delivered, a Ministry of Justice evaluation has found.
Fewer than half of supervision appointments for offenders on Drug Rehabilitation Requirements are being attended, undermining a regime intended to divert drug-dependent offenders from custody.
The process evaluation, published this week, examined expanded DRR drug testing introduced nationally between February and September 2023, which gave probation staff the capability to test DRR recipients directly rather than relying on treatment providers. Despite steady growth in testing since the rollout, the number of individuals tested each month remains consistently below the total DRR caseload across England.
The evaluation found that 54 per cent of planned supervision appointments were attended and complied with. Since testing can only take place during in-person appointments, missed visits directly limit how often testing occurs. Probation staff reported that individuals who wish to avoid a test typically do so by not attending at all.
Regional variation is significant. London recorded the lowest testing levels of any region throughout the period under review, while the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber performed comparatively well. The evaluation offers no explanation for the London gap.
The findings have direct implications for Integrated Offender Management, with the highest-risk IOM cohort among those not receiving testing at the frequency the guidance recommends.