Experts are calling for proactive work to improve the way the criminal justice system supports people with alcohol problems.

The doctor’s group, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), says meaningful support would improve the health and lives of people affected, reduce inequalities and the pressure on the system as a whole.

Enhancing trauma-informed and person-centred practice at every level of the justice system would ‘reduce the burden of alcohol’ on individuals affected, their loved ones and the system itself, says SHAAP.

It has written to the cabinet secretaries for both justice and health to urge them to work together to develop person-centered and recovery-focused” standards to ensure people are effectively supported at each step of the justice journey – from initial police to throughcare and liberation from prison.

These standards, SHAAP says should support professionals to identify people with alcohol problems and put in place necessary supports.

SHAAP says the Scottish government and national and local partners must then be held to account for delivery of services and support against these standards.

It also calls for the expansion of Alcohol Courts, which focus on helping people with alcohol-related issues access alcohol treatment services.

Dr Lesley Graham, SHAAP steering group member and former public health doctor, says:

“While it’s well-known that people with alcohol problems are hugely over-represented in the justice system, more could be done to support people in relation to their alcohol problem and to reduce the significant inequalities people in this situation face.

“We have found that while there is already much policy and guidance that can be used to provide support and treatment for people with alcohol problems, there are significant gaps in implementation.

“This is understandable given the strain our health and justice systems are currently under but if time was invested in providing the right kind of support for people with alcohol problems earlier in their journey, not only is it likely to reduce reoffending but it would improve the health of people with alcohol problems.”

This call comes after the latest figures revealed Scotland’s alcohol deaths are at a 15-year high, with renewed calls for the government to tax alcohol retailers for the harm they cause. 

SHAAP says a starting point for action is ensuring people identified as likely to have an alcohol problem when in initial police custody are referred to healthcare or alcohol treatment services.

It says that alcohol treatment orders as part of community sentences should be expanded with input from justice social work to improve rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, having plans in place for leaving prison to prevent relapse and support engagement with community services and recovery communities is also highlighted in the letter.

Lisa Millar, Prison and Healthcare Recovery Officer for Scottish Recovery Consortium and member of the expert working group behind the letters to the Scottish government, says:

“A set of person-centred and recovery-focused standards of support and care for people with alcohol use disorder would offer the treatment and recovery opportunities needed for people to connect with all the types of support they may need to get help with their problematic alcohol use, and potentially reframe their involvement with the justice system.”

Lisa Millar adds that it is key that lived experience recovery organisations are involved at every step:

“This connection with a community of people who had similar experiences to mine provided non-judgemental support and hope and most importantly empowered me to make positive choices to focus on my recovery.

“I was fortunate to have support from my family and local recovery community from the time of my arrest, to prison then liberation but that is not everyone’s experience.

“The standards of care we are proposing today would ensure everyone with alcohol use disorder in our justice system is supported to find the recovery pathway that works for them. This will benefit the individual, their families and wider society as a whole.”

Read more: Anonymous spaces improve mental health and recovery; A ‘dispiriting picture’: human rights in prisons; Policy needed for patient ‘missingness'; Stressful childhood linked to ill health later in life; Barriers remain in accessing residential rehab; Occupational therapy in Edinburgh prison