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Case Studies
Sarah's Story
Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO)
Two years ago 26-year-old Sarah's life was in chaos. She slept all day, smoked crack all night and made her living through prostitution and theft.
Sarah had been in and out of jail four times, but found it had no effect on her offending behaviour. "It made no difference to me. I just used to accept that I would go to jail and that was it. It did nothing to change me."
Eighteen months ago Sarah's life was turned around by a magistrate's decision to put her on a Drug Treatment and Testing Order run by Essex Probation service. DTTOs are targeted at prolific offenders with drug dependencies. The order means that Sarah must follow an intensive, individually tailored treatment and supervision programme. She is studying for basic literacy exams and receives counselling for her drug problem. She is regularly tested for drugs and has regular meetings with a specially trained magistrate who monitors her progress.
Sarah has now been clean for 18 months and no longer steals. She has her own flat and in the future hopes to start a family with her boyfriend, Steve. She also gives talks to schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs. "The DTTO hasn't been an easy option, but it's been worth it. My life's been completely changed around. I have a flat and all the money I used to spend on drugs I now spend on making it nice."
Simon's Story
Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP)
Simon was 14 years old when he was given an ISSP - a tough new community programme that targets persistent young offenders. He had already committed 33 offences including burglary, assault and robbery. His home life was unstable and he had not attended school regularly since he was 11.
The ISSP combines intensive supervision with the toughest surveillance of any community programme. Young offenders are subject to surveillance, such as electronic tagging or voice verification and an intensive programme of education and training, offending behaviour work and one-to-one supervision.
As part of the ISSP Simon was given a timetable of meaningful activity, including offending behaviour programmes, family support, and a reparation project.
He was referred to a school for children with special educational needs. He did not commit a single offence and completed the order successfully.
Simon's mum said, "The ISSP has been really great, it's helped no end especially the intensive part. The fact that he goes to school every day gives me peace of mind. The fact that he comes home every night means I can sleep."
Robert's Story
Supervised Treatment of Offenders Programme (STOP)
Robert knew he had sunk to an all time low when he started to steal from his Mum. "I sold her lawnmower and other things, to buy heroin," explains the 40-year-old former HGV driver. "Whenever I have to admit to this I still start crying."
Robert's spiral into drugs and crime started when he went to live in Spain to start his own business.
"I'd done a bit of cannabis in my teens, nothing much," he says, "Later I'd smoked crack a bit, but got into it more and more when I went to live Spain- it seemed to be more available than in Britain then. I started taking heroin to bring me down from crack - which was when the real trouble started. Heroin started to get a real grip of me, everything turned bad - relationships, business, my job."
He turned to crime to feed his all-consuming habit: "If I didn't shoplift to get my heroin I'd be ill for weeks and weeks. It really is a terrible feeling. I'd pinch anything over £30, because I could get £10 for it and this would buy me a bag of heroin. I just walked in a shop and picked up what I could, clothes, shoes, toiletries, anything. Occasionally I stole to order, but it was mostly chaotic - because I was chaotic."
Robert was arrested ten times for shoplifting. During one of his court appearances he even begged the magistrate to put him in jail thinking it might help break his drug habit.
But prison did nothing to break his cycle of addiction. "And when I came out things were even worse because I'd lost my room in the shared house and had nowhere to live."
But last year Robert's life changed for the better - he was arrested again for shoplifting, but this time it was different. Robert was placed on a STOP project (Supervised Treatment of Offenders Programme - run by Staffordshire Probation Service & NHS). It was a new project that assessed him and put him in touch with lots of different people for help.
"At the beginning I didn't tell the truth about my heroin use and the doctor gave me 4 mls of subutex (a heroin substitute) - and said they could up the does if it didn't work. I took it and over the weekend I did take a bag of heroin - but the heroin didn't have any effect. I still felt bad, but it wasn't as bad as a full rattle (withdrawal symptoms). The next time I saw the doctor the dose was upped.
And from that day I've never touched heroin. And I've been free of it for 11 months now."
Robert gets regular counselling and sees the STOP worker every month or three weeks, as well as his doctor and probation officer.
"So I've got a lot of help from different people," he explains, "I'm doing well. I've started exercising, as you can see I'm really quite fit now, I run a lot. I don't drink much and just smoke a bit.
"As for the future, well I'm taking it as it comes. But I'd like to think that things continue to pick up and I'll get a job, live a life, go on holidays - and that sort of thing. I'd like to think that hearing my story will give a bit of hope to other people who are at low points in their lives too."
Kevin's Story
Putting Back The Trust
Two years ago, Kevin's life was going nowhere. A criminal, heavily addicted to drugs, he had been in and out of prison more times than he could remember. Today he has a job working with young people and has recently been awarded the Prince's Trust Young Achiever of The Year at the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain and Northern Ireland Awards 2004.
Kevin was born into a poor area of Glasgow surrounded by drugs and violence. He had his first encounter with drugs when he was just eight years old and didn't look back. A full-blown addict and a father by the time he was in his teens, Kevin turned to crime to fund his habit and found his life spiralling out of control.
"I've done some very bad things in my time which I'm not proud of. I was heavily addicted to drugs and did some terrible things - including stealing the Christmas presents from my own children."
His stints in prison did little to change him. Because he was in jail for only a few months at a time - he was told he was not eligible for education and received little help for his drug problem - the main cause of his offending. "All I did in prison was clean the landing and go back to my cell," he says, "How was that supposed to turn me into a law-abiding citizen? I'd just go straight back out and re-offend."
Kevin's life was changed around by a magistrate's decision to sentence him to a Drug Treatment and Testing Order - a community punishment that tackles the drug problems of offenders. Kevin's days were filled with courses, education and training.
"It was tough because for the first time I was facing up to the things that I had done and thinking about my victims - something I'd never done in jail."
Kevin went on to take part in Prince's Trust Team, a personal development programme and spent last Christmas helping young people with disabilities. He also conducts talks to students, business people and magistrates about crime and punishment.
HRH Prince of Wales said of Kevin's award: "Kevin is an inspiration to all of us, particularly those facing seemingly insurmountable barriers and those who feel that they have nothing to offer. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Kevin and it gives me more pleasure than you can possibly imagine to see the achievements of this very special young man recognised in this way tonight."
Sarah's Story
Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO)
Two years ago 26-year-old Sarah's life was in chaos. She slept all day, smoked crack all night and made her living through prostitution and theft.
Sarah had been in and out of jail four times, but found it had no effect on her offending behaviour. "It made no difference to me. I just used to accept that I would go to jail and that was it. It did nothing to change me."
Eighteen months ago Sarah's life was turned around by a magistrate's decision to put her on a Drug Treatment and Testing Order run by Essex Probation service. DTTOs are targeted at prolific offenders with drug dependencies. The order means that Sarah must follow an intensive, individually tailored treatment and supervision programme. She is studying for basic literacy exams and receives counselling for her drug problem. She is regularly tested for drugs and has regular meetings with a specially trained magistrate who monitors her progress.
Sarah has now been clean for 18 months and no longer steals. She has her own flat and in the future hopes to start a family with her boyfriend, Steve. She also gives talks to schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs. "The DTTO hasn't been an easy option, but it's been worth it. My life's been completely changed around. I have a flat and all the money I used to spend on drugs I now spend on making it nice."
Simon's Story
Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP)
Simon was 14 years old when he was given an ISSP - a tough new community programme that targets persistent young offenders. He had already committed 33 offences including burglary, assault and robbery. His home life was unstable and he had not attended school regularly since he was 11.
The ISSP combines intensive supervision with the toughest surveillance of any community programme. Young offenders are subject to surveillance, such as electronic tagging or voice verification and an intensive programme of education and training, offending behaviour work and one-to-one supervision.
As part of the ISSP Simon was given a timetable of meaningful activity, including offending behaviour programmes, family support, and a reparation project.
He was referred to a school for children with special educational needs. He did not commit a single offence and completed the order successfully.
Simon's mum said, "The ISSP has been really great, it's helped no end especially the intensive part. The fact that he goes to school every day gives me peace of mind. The fact that he comes home every night means I can sleep."
Robert's Story
Supervised Treatment of Offenders Programme (STOP)
Robert knew he had sunk to an all time low when he started to steal from his Mum. "I sold her lawnmower and other things, to buy heroin," explains the 40-year-old former HGV driver. "Whenever I have to admit to this I still start crying."
Robert's spiral into drugs and crime started when he went to live in Spain to start his own business.
"I'd done a bit of cannabis in my teens, nothing much," he says, "Later I'd smoked crack a bit, but got into it more and more when I went to live Spain- it seemed to be more available than in Britain then. I started taking heroin to bring me down from crack - which was when the real trouble started. Heroin started to get a real grip of me, everything turned bad - relationships, business, my job."
He turned to crime to feed his all-consuming habit: "If I didn't shoplift to get my heroin I'd be ill for weeks and weeks. It really is a terrible feeling. I'd pinch anything over £30, because I could get £10 for it and this would buy me a bag of heroin. I just walked in a shop and picked up what I could, clothes, shoes, toiletries, anything. Occasionally I stole to order, but it was mostly chaotic - because I was chaotic."
Robert was arrested ten times for shoplifting. During one of his court appearances he even begged the magistrate to put him in jail thinking it might help break his drug habit.
But prison did nothing to break his cycle of addiction. "And when I came out things were even worse because I'd lost my room in the shared house and had nowhere to live."
But last year Robert's life changed for the better - he was arrested again for shoplifting, but this time it was different. Robert was placed on a STOP project (Supervised Treatment of Offenders Programme - run by Staffordshire Probation Service & NHS). It was a new project that assessed him and put him in touch with lots of different people for help.
"At the beginning I didn't tell the truth about my heroin use and the doctor gave me 4 mls of subutex (a heroin substitute) - and said they could up the does if it didn't work. I took it and over the weekend I did take a bag of heroin - but the heroin didn't have any effect. I still felt bad, but it wasn't as bad as a full rattle (withdrawal symptoms). The next time I saw the doctor the dose was upped.
And from that day I've never touched heroin. And I've been free of it for 11 months now."
Robert gets regular counselling and sees the STOP worker every month or three weeks, as well as his doctor and probation officer.
"So I've got a lot of help from different people," he explains, "I'm doing well. I've started exercising, as you can see I'm really quite fit now, I run a lot. I don't drink much and just smoke a bit.
"As for the future, well I'm taking it as it comes. But I'd like to think that things continue to pick up and I'll get a job, live a life, go on holidays - and that sort of thing. I'd like to think that hearing my story will give a bit of hope to other people who are at low points in their lives too."
Kevin's Story
Putting Back The Trust
Two years ago, Kevin's life was going nowhere. A criminal, heavily addicted to drugs, he had been in and out of prison more times than he could remember. Today he has a job working with young people and has recently been awarded the Prince's Trust Young Achiever of The Year at the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain and Northern Ireland Awards 2004.
Kevin was born into a poor area of Glasgow surrounded by drugs and violence. He had his first encounter with drugs when he was just eight years old and didn't look back. A full-blown addict and a father by the time he was in his teens, Kevin turned to crime to fund his habit and found his life spiralling out of control.
"I've done some very bad things in my time which I'm not proud of. I was heavily addicted to drugs and did some terrible things - including stealing the Christmas presents from my own children."
His stints in prison did little to change him. Because he was in jail for only a few months at a time - he was told he was not eligible for education and received little help for his drug problem - the main cause of his offending. "All I did in prison was clean the landing and go back to my cell," he says, "How was that supposed to turn me into a law-abiding citizen? I'd just go straight back out and re-offend."
Kevin's life was changed around by a magistrate's decision to sentence him to a Drug Treatment and Testing Order - a community punishment that tackles the drug problems of offenders. Kevin's days were filled with courses, education and training.
"It was tough because for the first time I was facing up to the things that I had done and thinking about my victims - something I'd never done in jail."
Kevin went on to take part in Prince's Trust Team, a personal development programme and spent last Christmas helping young people with disabilities. He also conducts talks to students, business people and magistrates about crime and punishment.
HRH Prince of Wales said of Kevin's award: "Kevin is an inspiration to all of us, particularly those facing seemingly insurmountable barriers and those who feel that they have nothing to offer. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Kevin and it gives me more pleasure than you can possibly imagine to see the achievements of this very special young man recognised in this way tonight."
