Independent Evaluation of the Integrated Drug Treatment System in Prisons

Aim

Drug treatment needs are high within the prison population, and so we were asked to evaluate the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS), an initiative that aims to improve the drug treatment offered to users in prison. It looks to do this by increasing the availability, consistency and quality of drug treatment services, improving the assessment process, and bringing the clinical and psychosocial aspects of drug treatment for prisoners together into one system.

This evaluation will give HMPS and the NHS robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of IDTS, and will contribute to informing prison drug treatment policy and practice.

Method

The evaluation consists of two work streams across 20 prisons:

• Qualitative focus groups and in-depth interviews with strategic stakeholders, IDTS frontline practitioners and prisoners, to explore IDTS implementation, delivery and early outcomes; and
• A survey of service users in prison, some of whom will be followed up on release into the community.