For over 20 years, a key UK drug strategy objective has been to identify people with drug problems in police stations, courts and prisons, and encourage them to accept treatment to address their addictive and criminal behaviours. Over the same period in the US, there has been widespread development of Drug Courts that have the same objective. This session will consist of a panel conversation and facilitated discussion between Mike Trace (Former UK Deputy Drug Czar, and current CEO of Forward Trust) and Jac Charlier (Director of PTAC - a US coalition of agencies promoting pre-trial diversion) that addresses the following questions: • To what extent, with hindsight, were these policies and programmes well implemented? • Did they achieve their objectives of reducing drug related o ending, and getting more people into recovery? • Are the current mechanisms for diversion working well? • What should happen next - in the USA and the UK?

1. Criminal justice diversion into drug or alcohol
treatment – how are we doing?
Jac Charlier – National Director (TASC), Police Treatment and Community
Collaborative, USA
Mike Trace – Chief Executive, The Forward Trust, UK

2. Many people with drug/alcohol problems come into contact with the criminal justice system. We
need strong processes to divert people into treatment and services in the community.
Police
First responders
Initial detention
Initial court hearings
Prosecutors
Jail
Court
Jail re-entry
Prison re-entry
Probation
Parole
Community-based services and recovery support

3. First, define your terms (lots of them!)
Deflection
Probation and Parole
Court Diversion/Drug
Courts/Specialty
Courts/Problem Solving
Courts
Arrest Referral
Post-arrest/Prosecution/Pre-trial Diversion
Pre-arrest/Law Enforcement Diversion
Criminal Justice Diversion
Alternatives to
Custody/
Incarceration
Jail Diversion/
Bail Assessment

4. History in the USA and UK
• Harsh drug laws, mass arrests, all
arrestees subject to prosecution/court,
drug courts
• “Law and Order” but with a “Second
Chance” philosophy
• Long sentences with little prison based
treatment
• Current trends towards more/earlier
diversion
• Tradition of warnings for low
level drug offences
• Correlation between drug use
patterns and certain types of
crime
• 1998 strategy – DTTO’s, DIP,
DRR/ATR, liaison and diversion

5. Who is targeted for diversion?
USA
Court diversion focused on specific populations;
drug law offenders/other offences (relatively low risk
offenders); age/race/gender – changing cohort now
more pre-court diversion.
The net is wider and the stakes are higher.
UK
Focused on drug related
offenders, smaller and more
marginalised group,
age/race/gender

6. Diversion to what?
Varies widely based on local resources (makes for
wide disparity of services, no national system).
Traditionally primarily abstinence programmes, but this
is rapidly changing - evidence-based practices, spread
of methods, clear response to treatment
success/failure.
Referral to generic treatment system, primarily
substitution treatment. What does success look like?
Unclear response to success/failure, declining priority
for criminal justice access.