CONFERENCE: Drugs, Crime and Criminal Justice
 The Conference Consortium is a unique and exciting venture. A not for profit company
formed by a group of service providers, trades unions, professional bodies and national
organisations to promote discussion and dissemination of good practice in the fields of
drugs, alcohol and criminal justice.

 Levels of drug and alcohol use have increased and there is evidence that the age of first
use is lower.This has consequences for individuals and their communities.These include
health and social consequences, as well as increased levels of criminal and other
anti-social behaviour.This situation has placed drug and alcohol use firmly on the
political agenda.

 The national drug strategy, with its unprecedented increase in resources for treatment,
the creation of the National Treatment Agency on Substance Misuse, the Home Office Drugs
Intervention Programme (DIP) and the new national alcohol strategy are concrete examples
of attempts to address the issues and problems associated with drug and alcohol
use.Together this has lead to a massive increase in the range of

 interventions and treatment available over the past decade.
 A significant investment has been made in initiatives delivered through the criminal
justice system, including prisons. In many respects this has produced positive results -
not least in facilitating the development of multi-disciplinary working and skill-sharing.
However there is concern that this has also lead to agenda being driven by crime
reduction, without enough emphasis on health and social consequences and improvements.


What will the conference address?
 Whilst acknowledging the progress made in some areas, this conference seeks to:
        .       examine and challenge the principles underlying the approach to tackling
issues and problems associated with alcohol and drug use in the UK;

        .       discuss the relationship between harm reduction and abstinence-based
approaches - are they mutually exclusive?

        .       provide a platform for the presentation of examples of current practice;
        .       provide the opportunity to present and discuss innovative ideas;
        .       examine what we do well and what prevents us doing better;
        .       develop ways in which addressing the balance between health, social and
criminogenic concerns might best be achieved.

Structure of the conference
 The programme has been designed by a representative group of professionals, all
specialists in their respective fields. It is structured to include debates, plenary
sessions and workshops and is designed to encourage participation by everyone attending.

 The topics will include:
        .       Is there a balance, or what are the options?
        .       What (else) works, what does the evidence tell us and what constitutes
value for money?
        .       Treating drug and alcohol use in a changing culture - does one size fit
all?
        .       What about complex needs/dual diagnosis?
        .       Multi-disciplinary/multi-agency working - who's the social worker?
        .       How do we develop a skilled workforce - do we need specialists?
        .       Seamless provision - Models of Care and DIP
        .       Early intervention - can we move beyond arrest referral?
        .       Treatment in prison and links with the community
        .       What do we mean by inclusion - how can we deliver?
        .       The potential impact of changes in the criminal justice system - NOMS
(National Offender management Services) and implementation of new sentencing (CJA 2003)

 A full programme will be available in advance to all delegates. Regular updates on
progress will be available on the Consortium web-site  www.conferenceconsortium.org. In
addition to the formal agenda there will be social events and other opportunities for
informal discussion and networking throughout the conference.


Who should attend?
 The Consortium seeks to ensure the widest possible representation from all professions,
disciplines and agencies.

 The conference is for all those who have an interest in drugs, alcohol and criminal
justice: practitioners, policy makers, academics and service user representatives. It will
be of particular interest to drug and alcohol service providers, police and probation
officers, social and health services, DIP teams, CARAT teams, prison

 governors and officers, DAAT's and CDRP's.

Logistics and conference fees
 The conference will be held in the Arts Centre, the University of Warwick, commencing at
14.00 on Monday 13th March and ending at lunchtime on Wednesday 15th March 2006.


The residential delegate fee will include 2 nights' accommodation (Monday and Tuesday)
with breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday and lunch on Tuesday.Also included is dinner on
Monday evening and the conference dinner on Tuesday evening, as well as all conference
materials.


There is a reduced fee for those presenting in main sessions, or chairing workshops.The
Consortium is also seeking to secure funds to provide bursaries more service users and
unwaged to attend the conference. For information please contact us.

 A limited number of non-residential places are available for those attending from the
local area.The fee includes attendance at the conference, including all conference
materials, as well as attendance at the conference dinner.

Sponsorship and exhibition space
 There are a number of sponsorship packages available for the conference and exhibition
space is also available at the venue. For further information and prices, please contact
Salma Master, the Conference Organiser - [log in to unmask]

Details on-line at:

http://www.conferenceconsortium.org.uk W: http://www.dass.stir.ac.uk/sections/scot-ad/