Drug Offenders & Rehabilitation Requirement

About the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement

The court has decided that you have a problem with drugs and that you need help to deal with it.  You have agreed to undergo treatment.  An assessment will have been carried out before you were sentenced to decide the right sort of treatment for you.

You will take part in a drug rehabilitation programme.  The programme might last for up to 3 years if you are on a Community Order or for up to 2 years if you are on a Suspended Sentence Order.  This might involve counselling, substitute prescribing or attending a day centre.  You may have agreed to treatment in a residential rehabilitation centre.  You will be tested regularly to monitor your use of drugs.

Your Drug Rehabilitation Requirement starts straight away after you are sentenced.

The person responsible for your sentence in the Probation Service (your "responsible officer") will discuss the details of your Drug Rehabilitation Requirement with you.

• make clear where you need to be and what time you must be there;
• make clear what will happen if you do not co-operate with treatment or testing.

About court review hearings

Unless you have been told otherwise, the court will want to review the progress you are making with your Drug Rehabilitation Requirement.  This will involve you attending a court hearing.

The court will decide how you are doing by listening to what they are told about your progress and by reading written reports.  The reports will include the results of drug testing and the views of the people providing your treatment.

Your responsible officer will make sure you understand how these hearings work.