Government in-fighting 'undermining prison addiction treatment'

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by Change | 9 Dec 2009

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An expert has claimed that departmental squabbling is having a negative impact on efforts to improve heroin addiction treatment for people in prison, it has been reported.

People in prison are not getting the addiction treatment they need to tackle heroin problems because of in-fighting between two different government departments, it has been claimed.

Mike Trace, a former drugs advisor to Tony Blair, has argued that the Department of Health is undermining attempts by the Ministry of Justice to provide a variety of addiction treatment services to get prisoners off heroin.

He claims that the health department is seeking to take control of the approach to addiction treatment and is simply putting prisoners onto heroin substitute methadone, rather than providing a range of addiction treatment programmes used by the Ministry of Justice that do not involve drugs of any kind.

"When they see the healthcare professionals, they are offered - sometimes the only choice they are offered - a prescription of some type, which means their motivation to try to remain drug-free can be undermined," Mr Trace said.

However, the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health have issued a joint statement rejecting the argument, insisting that all addiction treatment decisions are "clinically-based".

The statement added: "The programme includes abstinence, but all treatments are aimed at getting the person off drugs."

Official figures have revealed there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of inmates put on methadone last year compared to 2007.

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