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Drug Treatment and Testing Orders: Evaluation of the Scottish Pilots

CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

2.1 A range of research methods have been used in the evaluation of the Scottish pilot DTTO schemes including the collection of information from files, the analysis of questionnaires and interviews with a range of professionals involved in the pilots and with offenders made subject to orders. This chapter discusses each of the research methods that have been employed.

RESEARCH METHODS

Information from DTTO schemes

2.2 From the outset it was anticipated that the researchers would have access to a range of detailed information on the characteristics of offenders given DTTOs and alternative sentences and on the process and outcomes of orders through a computerised database established and maintained by the social work departments in Glasgow and Fife. Both pilot schemes encountered delays in establishing such a database, largely as a result of the workload (primarily in Glasgow) and the fact that much of the information that would have been recorded in the database was already available from other sources (in Fife). In the absence of this information, the research team sought to obtain information from other sources subject, where appropriate, to the offenders' consent. These sources included aggregate statistical data produced by the schemes and 59 social enquiry reports/DTTO assessments (37 in Glasgow and 22 in Fife). In addition, DTTO staff made available (again with the offenders' consent) test results, details of attendance/non-attendance for testing and details of convictions libelled at the court appearance that resulted in the imposition of a DTTO. These latter data provided a fuller picture of the criminal histories of offenders made subject to orders, though comparable data were not available for offenders who were referred for a DTTO assessment but who were given alternative disposals and this limits what can be concluded about the 'targeting' of the scheme. The information gathered from various sources was obtained in respect of DTTOs made in Glasgow from February 2000 until February 2001 and in Fife from July 2000 until April 2001. However, the absence of a common approach to monitoring across the two pilot sites meant that the aggregate data accessed by the researchers were not always directly comparable.

Observation of court reviews

2.3 The monitoring databases were expected to furnish information about the review process, including the recommendations contained in review reports and the outcomes of reviews. In the absence of these data the researchers decided to attend court reviews to observe and document the process involved. In Glasgow, court observations of a sample of reviews were undertaken between 4/10/00 and 19/04/01. Forty-one per cent of the actual court reviews (43/105), across reviews 1-9 and final reviews, were observed by the researchers. Additionally, one first calling and one breach were observed. Observations of reviews in Fife were undertaken between 28/11/00 until 25/01/01. Of the 19 reviews conducted in court during this period, seven were observed (37%), across the range of reviews 1-3 ³. The researchers used a pro forma to record details of who was present and the duration of the review. Brief notes were also taken of interactions occurring during the review (including, for example, the dialogue that took place between the sentencer and the offender).

Completion of questionnaires by social workers and treatment providers

2.4 Treatment providers and DTTO social workers in the two pilot areas were asked to complete questionnaires relating to individual offenders on orders at three points in their orders: shortly after the offender began a DTTO; six months into the order; and on completion. Treatment providers completed 45 initial questionnaires (35 in Glasgow and 10 in Fife) and 18 six-month questionnaires (all in Glasgow). DTTO social workers completed 47 initial questionnaires (23 in Glasgow and 24 in Fife) and 33 six-month questionnaires (17 in Glasgow and 16 in Fife). In addition, three completion questionnaires (relating to two individuals) were submitted. However in view of the small number of cases involved these are not discussed in this report.

2.5 The completion of questionnaires in Fife was an ongoing process. In Glasgow, however, staff workloads delayed the completion of questionnaires by DTTO workers. In the event, questionnaires were completed retrospectively which means that the initial questionnaires were, in many cases, completed several months after the offender started a DTTO. This clearly places some limitations upon the value of these data.

Interviews with social work managers, DTTO staff and treatment providers

2.6 Interviews were carried out with three social work managers in Glasgow and two in Fife who had operational or strategic responsibility for the DTTO pilots, with eight DTTO workers (three social workers and five addiction workers) and with six treatment providers from the two pilot sites.

2.7 The interviews explored their views about the assessment process, drug testing, reviews, the quality of treatment services provided and their perceptions of the effectiveness of DTTOs in effecting reductions in drug use and drug-related offending. Where appropriate, comment was also sought on how DTTOs differed from other community-based social work disposals and, in particular, probation orders with a drug treatment requirement. The interviews were tape recorded and fully transcribed.

Interviews with sentencers

2.8 Interviews were carried out with a group of sentencers in Glasgow and Fife who had some knowledge and experience of DTTOs. This included five sheriffs from Glasgow and four from Fife, three stipendiary magistrates in Glasgow and one high court judge who had imposed a DTTO in Glasgow High Court. The interviews explored their views about the assessment process, drug testing, reviews, the quality of treatment services provided and their perceptions of the effectiveness of DTTOs in effecting reductions in drug use and drug-related offending. Where appropriate, comment was also sought on how DTTOs differed from other community-based social work disposals and, in particular, probation orders with a drug treatment requirement. The interviews, which lasted between 30-45 minutes, were tape recorded and fully transcribed.

2.9 The sentencers who were interviewed had made varying use of DTTOs. Two sheriffs in Glasgow and one in Fife had made only one order and one sheriff in Fife had made two. By contrast, three sheriffs in Glasgow estimated that they had imposed between five and ten DTTOs while one sheriff in Fife had made between six and eight and another estimated having made use of the order on at least 15 occasions. Two of the stipendiary magistrates had made one order each while the third had sentenced 'at least 18' offenders to a DTTO.

Interviews with offenders given DTTOs

2.10 A total of 38 interviews were conducted with offenders on DTTOs shortly after their orders were made and six months following the imposition of an order. One offender from Glasgow who was first interviewed after six months on a DTTO was, in addition, interviewed at the end of his 12-month order. However, since it would be inappropriate to make any inferences from the views expressed by a single respondent, the interview data from the completion interview are not reported here. As Table 2.1 shows, the majority of interviews took place shortly after sentence (in practice this was up to 3 months after the DTTO was made, since arrangements could only be made to interview offenders when their drug use was relatively stable and other immediate problems or crises had been addressed). Five offenders were re-interviewed at the six-month point in their order and five others, who had not previously been interviewed, were interviewed at this stage.

2.11 Difficulties were encountered in securing interviews since offenders frequently did not attend appointments that were arranged. The practice that was adopted was that following two or three failed appointments, no further attempts were made to interview the offender. In Fife the number of interviews that could be secured was also affected by the fact that some offenders did not give their consent to being approached for interview. The interview sample therefore comprises all those who could be interviewed within these constraints.

2.12 The majority of interviewees (35) were male. Three women (two in Glasgow and one in Fife) took part in initial interviews only. In Glasgow, the interviews were carried out in social work offices. In Fife interviews were carried out in the DTTO office, Social Work Area offices or the Health Centres used by the drug workers. All respondents agreed to the interview being tape-recorded and fully transcribed.

Table 2.1: Interviews conducted with offenders shortly after the order was made and at six months

Completion of the ASI-X

2.13 It had been the intention at the outset of the evaluation to administer the ASI-X to offenders at interview. The fifth edition of the Addiction Severity Index (Fureman et. al., 1990) is a semi-structured interview which offers a multidimensional profile of the client by covering problem areas or dimensions (medical, employment and support, alcohol, drugs, legal, family/social, and psychiatric) most often associated with substance abuse. The same instrument can also be used for outcome evaluation and enables the documentation of self-reported drug use within the previous month (c.f. Ramsay, 1997).

2.14 The ASI-X was, in practice, completed in Glasgow with 21 offenders at their initial interviews and with nine offenders at their six-month interviews (only six of whom also had an initial interview carried out). However it became apparent that the administration of the ASI-X resulted in a very lengthy interview in which it was difficult to sustain offenders' concentration and interest. Moreover some of the items contained in the instrument were perceived by offenders and by the researchers as inappropriately sensitive and intrusive in this context. Since most of the information to be gathered with the ASI-X could be gleaned from other sources (such as social enquiry reports, DTTO assessment reports and the semi-structured interviews with offenders) a decision was made by the research team to discontinue its use in Fife and to use only the sections on employment and addiction in Glasgow. However, relevant data that were collected using the ASI-X at the 21 initial interviews in Glasgow are presented in Chapter Three by way of providing some additional information on the characteristics of offenders given DTTOs in that pilot scheme.

Interviews with offenders given other sentences

2.15 Interviews were also planned with offenders who were assessed as suitable for a DTTO but who were given probation orders with a drug treatment requirement in order that features of the two types of disposal might be compared. In practice, however, only one offender assessed as suitable for a DTTO had been given a conditional probation order by the end of the main fieldwork period (as we shall see in Chapter Three, conversion rates from DTTO recommendations to orders were, in fact, uniformly high in both sites). It was therefore evident that an alternative strategy for identifying and recruiting a comparison sample would be required.

2.16 An alternative comparison group was provided by the establishment of the 'Fast Track' scheme in Forth Valley, which accepts offenders from the Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannan areas. The Fast Track scheme aims to provide rapid access to drug treatment services for offenders who are given probation orders with drug treatment requirements. Staff from the Fast Track scheme provided the research team with access to offenders who had been accepted onto the programme (and who had consented to being involved in the research). Interviews were conducted with ten probationers (all male) who were approximately six months into their orders. The interviews, which covered similar areas to those conducted with offenders on DTTOs, lasted between 25 and 45 minutes and were tape-recorded and fully transcribed. The data from these interviews are discussed in Chapter Six.

Obtaining the views of family members

2.17 The research team had intended carrying out interviews with family members of offenders given DTTOs, with these interviews carried out at the end of orders. The purpose of these interviews would have been to explore the impact of DTTOs on other family members and to obtain an additional perspective on the effectiveness of orders in reducing drug use and offending and addressing other problems.

2.18 Two factors impacted on this aspect of the study. First, the number of completed orders (including revocations and breaches) was very low. Second, many offenders on DTTOs had little or no contact with their families and the latter were therefore unable to offer an informed perspective on this new type of order. Instead, the effect of DTTOs on offenders' families was addressed indirectly, through interviews with offenders and with various professionals involved in the operation of the pilot schemes.

Costing of DTTOs and their alternatives

2.19 A costing was undertaken of DTTOs and alternative sentences. This aspect of the study drew upon the approach to the costing of DTTOs employed in the evaluation of the English pilots and upon the approach to the costing of other community-based social work disposals in Scotland (e.g. Barry and McIvor, 2000; Levy and McIvor, 2001). It also drew upon published costs of sentences (Scottish Executive, 2001b) to derive an indicative cost for a 'typical' alternative disposal. The average cost of a DTTO would normally take account of the indirect costs associated with the processing of, and alternative sentences received by, offenders who failed to complete their orders. However, this was not feasible in view of the low breach rate by the end of the fieldwork period.

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