Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of drug rehabilitation programmes in prisons on levels of reoffending.

We know that drug treatment can help reduce levels of reoffending. For example, an experimental statistical report found an approximate 19 percentage point reduction in the 2-year reoffending rate for those offenders who successfully completed treatment, compared to those who dropped out.[1]

It is therefore vital that we engage offenders in drug treatment that supports a meaningful recovery, and lasting desistance from crime. The Government is investing a record £780m in treatment and recovery over the 3-year Spending Review period, with the Ministry of Justice investing £120m of this to get more offenders across the Criminal Justice System engaged in treatment. With this investment, we will enhance testing regimes in prison, expand the use of Incentivised Substance-Free Living units where prisoners commit to remain drug-free and undergo regular drug tests, roll out abstinence-only Drug Recovery Wings for those recovering from opiate addiction, and support prisoners to engage with community treatment ahead of their release.

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/674858/PHE-MoJ-experimental-MoJ-publication-version.pdf