Rehab referrals allowed for thieving addicts

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by Change | 10 Dec 2008

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Changes to Sentence Guidelines Council rules will allow judges to issue a community order and alcohol or drug rehabilitation in place of a custodial sentence.

Alcohol and drug addiction should be considered as mitigating factors when determining prison sentences, a public body claims.

The Sentence Guidelines Council (SGC) advises that dependency of these types should be met with substance abuse treatment programmes and a range of non-custodial rulings.

In its rules, the organisation states many offenders who have stolen or committed "acquisitive crimes" do so in order to feed an alcohol or drug addiction.

"This does not mitigate the seriousness of the offence but an offender's dependency may properly influence the type of sentence imposed," the guidelines state.

People brought in front of the court in these situations can be issued a community sentence, including referral to an alcohol or drug addiction clinic in order to obtain treatment.

The document identifies this as a method which can help "break the cycle of addiction and offending" more effectively than a typical custodial response.

In recent news, Alcohol Concern has called for a greater degree of cooperation between police, probation and health services when it comes to tackling drug and alcohol abuse.

The organisation says the current system does not identify those at risk of developing a substance addiction before they are arrested for the first time.

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