Pathways between probation and addiction: a follow-up study
Study of alcohol or drug treatment requirements assessing engagement and reconviction outcomes using justice (including probation notes) and health data.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Background
This follow‑up to the 2023 report links probation case management data (nDelius) with National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) records and introduces Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyse probation contact notes. This improves identification of treatment engagement for people on Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) and Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) and examines associated reconviction outcomes.
Coverage
Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders with ATRs or DRRs issued in England between August 2018 and March 2023.
Key findings
- Up to 90% of ATRs and DRRs showed some form of treatment engagement when combining data linkage with NLP contact‑note analysis.
- Reconvictions were lower for people linked to structured treatment, especially those who completed or remained in treatment.
- Engagement and reconviction patterns varied by age, sex, accommodation status, region, and time taken to access treatment.
Methodology
- Probabilistic data linkage was used because there is no shared unique identifier.
NLP was applied to requirements not linked to structured treatment to identify additional treatment activity.
Reconvictions represent a minimum estimate due to processing delays.
Previous report
The previous report can be found here - Pathways between probation and addiction treatment in England: report - GOV.UK