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The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is the key [[criminal justice]] agency involved in engaging substance misusing offenders in drug treatment. It does this through a variety of methods, some [[coercive]], such as the Tough Choices program, and some by more traditional means. Its key partners include [[police]], the probation service, prisons, courts and other criminal justice agencies, as well as the [[National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse|National Treatment Agency]] and the [[Department of Health (United Kingdom)|Department of Health]]<ref>{{cite web
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In December 2005, aspects of the Drugs Act 2005 were piolated at various DIPs around the country. Under the heading "Tough Choices", this included a "[[drug test|Test on Arrest]]" procedure, a "Required Assessment" process and an extension of the "Restrictions on Bail" scheme, which was legislated for under Section 19 of the [[Criminal Justice Act 2003]].
===Test on Arrest===
▲In December 2005, aspects of the Drugs Act 2005 were piolated at various DIPs around the country. Under the heading "Tough Choices", this included a "[[drug test|Test on Arrest]]" procedure, a "Required Assessment" process and an extension of the "Restrictions on Bail" scheme, which was legislated for under Section 19 of the [[Criminal Justice Act 2003]]. In April 2006, the Tough Choices program was implemented nation wide.
Under the [[Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984]](PACE), it had been possible for police to drug test Detained Prisoners since 1984. The Drugs Act 2005 introduced, at selected "intensive DIP area" police stations, a mandatory drug test for every individual who had been arrested for a specified list of "trigger offences"; offences which had been shown to have a clear link to substance misuse, such as [[Theft]].
===Required
Individuals who tested positive under the "Test on Arrest" scheme were required to see a drug worker for a single appointment.
▲Under the [[Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984]](PACE), it had been possible for police to drug test Detained Prisoners since 1984. The Drugs Act 2005 introduced, at selected "intensive DIP area" police stations, a mandatory drug test for every individual who had been arrested for a specified list of "trigger offences"; offences which had been shown to have a clear link to substance misuse, such as [[Theft]]. Individuals who refused to take this test, a "non-intimate saliva sample", could face up to three months in [[custody]] and a £2,500 [[fine]]. Individuals who tested positive were then compelled to undergo a "Required Assessment" with a drug worker from their local DIP.
▲Individuals who tested positive under the "Test on Arrest" scheme were required to see a drug worker for a single appointment. Although the Drugs Act 2005 had introduced a contingency for a "Follow-up Required Assessment" process, this measure was not implemented until March 2007. Individuals who failed to attend either of these appointments could face up to three months in prison or a £2,500 fine.
=== Restrictions on Bail ===▼
Restrictions on Bail had been introduced under the [[Criminal Justice Act 2003]]. This piece of [[legislation]] amended the [[Bail Act 1976]] by reversing the presumption of [[bail]] to anyone who had tested positive to a class A drug, unless they agreed to undergo assessment and treatment with their local DIP for the duration of their court bail. This effectively obliged courts to implement a bail condition compelling such persons to attend their local DIP. The stated aim of this was to "prevent offending on bail". Failure to abide by this condition could result in the denial of further court [[bail]]. Restrictions on Bail had been piolated in several areas for over a year, before the rest of the Tough Choices program was implemented.
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All "Drug and Alcohol Action Team" (DAAT) areas in the UK had created a DIP prior to the introduction of Tough Choices.
▲All "Drug and Alcohol Action Team" (DAAT) areas in the UK had created a DIP prior to the introduction of Tough Choices. Some of these DIPs, where the drug problem was perceived to be lower, were labelled "Non-Intensive". Non-Intensive areas were different in one way - local police stations would not drug test. However, a Required Assessment and a Restrictions on Bail condition could still be given to people from these areas.
In 2004, the Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPO) Scheme was set up.
▲== Prolific and Other Priority Offenders Scheme and DIP ==
▲In 2004, the Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPO) Scheme was set up. A crime reduction initiative, it aims to identify a hard-core of individuals considered responsible for large amounts of crime, and manage them through either rehabilitation or conviction. There are currently 10,000 offenders in the UK who are involved in the PPO scheme, a siginificant proportion of whom have drug dependency issues. The [[Home Office]] encourages DIPs and PPO schemes to work closely together in such cases to ensure effective case management of offenders<ref>{{cite web
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[[Release (agency)|Release]], a UK charity which advises professionals and the public on criminal justice and drugs matters, strongly opposed the Test-on-Arrest and Required Assessment measures brought in by the Drugs Act 2005. They stated that mandatory drug testing was possibly in contravention with Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998, and that the possibility of false positives could lead to mandatory assessments for non-drug using Detained Prisoners. They also queried the Required Assessment process, calling into question the ethics and efficacy of coerced addiction treatment, and highlighting the possible re-direction of resources away from the voluntary treatment sector<ref>{{cite web
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*[[National Probation Service]]
*[[Drug addiction]]
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