To ask the Minister of Justice to detail any arrangements that are in place to ensure that people, repeatedly coming to the attention of criminal justice agencies as a result of anti-social behaviour associated with drug or alcohol misuse, are referred to appropriate treatment and support services.

People who repeatedly come to the attention of criminal justice agencies are addressed by each agency as follows:

Where individuals repeatedly come to the attention of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), neighbourhood policing teams work with relevant partners to identify opportunities for early intervention and longer term problem solving. Depending on the circumstances, this can include local councils, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Health and Social Care services, the Youth Justice Agency, Probation Board for Northern Ireland and voluntary and community organisations. Multi agency Support Hubs provide one mechanism through which vulnerable individuals with complex or recurring needs can be considered. Where drug or alcohol misuse is identified as a contributing factor, individuals may also be signposted or referred, where appropriate, to specialist treatment and support services. The PSNI advise that they continue to take appropriate enforcement action where criminal offending occurs, while working with partners to address the underlying causes of repeated anti-social behaviour and reduce further harm to individuals and communities.

The Youth Justice Agency (YJA) provides a range of services, often delivered in partnership with others, to help address offending behaviour, to divert children from crime, to manage risk and improve life chances. A relatively small proportion of these children are involved in what might be considered persistent offending. In most cases, where substance use is identified as a contributory factor to offending, YJA provides targeted interventions in the community and in custody and/or refer the child or young person to other specialist and/or community /voluntary sector services for additional support. Although the majority of children are referred to YJA on a statutory basis by courts and the public Prosecution Service (PPS), the agency is also committed to developing and delivering Earlier Stage Diversion (ESD). This includes taking voluntary referrals for children involved in the early stages of minor offending and delivering one-off awareness sessions for children who have received Community Resolution Notices. A significant proportion of children referred for ESD have been involved in substance related offences or persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB). YJA also has a limited amount of funding which can be used to support voluntary and community sector organisations to work with groups of children who are on the cusp of the formal justice system and involved in minor offending or ASB, some of which is substance use related. In addition to this, YJA delivers a range of educational workshops in schools including alcohol and drug misuse. YJA is represented on all five of the Drug and Alcohol Coordination Teams which work collectively to address drug and alcohol misuse for both children and adults.

From a Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) perspective, the provision of health services to prisoners, the responsibility for this transferred to the Department of Health in April 2008. The Department commissioned the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (the Trust) to deliver primary care and mental health services from April 2008 and Addictions Services from October 2008. Secondary and tertiary services are provided by the Health and Social Care Trust in whose area the individual lived prior to committal to prison custody. The Trust’s Healthcare in Prison Team is based across all three prison establishments and includes a Clinical Addictions Team. Additionally, the Trust has commissioned Start 360 to deliver the Alcohol and Drugs: Empowering People Through Recovery (AD:EPT) programme and provide therapeutic interventions.

The Probation Board of Northern Ireland (PBNI) does not have a general role in identifying or managing individuals who repeatedly come to the attention of criminal justice agencies as a result of anti-social behaviour associated with drug or alcohol misuse.

However, within this statutory remit, PBNI works with individuals under probation supervision to reduce the likelihood of reoffending and support rehabilitation, which includes assessing and addressing factors linked to offending behaviour, including drug and alcohol misuse where relevant. PBNI undertakes comprehensive assessments of an individual's offending behaviour, risks and needs. Where substance misuse is identified as a contributory factor to offending, probation staff work with the individual to develop an intervention plan which may include referral to appropriate treatment and support services. Depending on assessed need, this may involve statutory health services, community-based addiction services, or voluntary and community sector providers. Probation staff monitor engagement with relevant services and work in partnership with providers to coordinate support for individuals with complex and often multiple needs.