Book Info
Service Provision for Detainees with Problematic Drug and Alcohol Use in Police Detention: A Comparative Study of Selected Countries of the European Union (HEUNI report #54)
Morag MacDonald et al.
(paperback)
2008, 377 pages
ISBN: 978-952-5333-35-0
$50.00
Over the last two decades, as a result of increased drug use in Europe, larger numbers of problematic drug and alcohol users have been placed into police detention. This study examines legislation, policy and practice on police detention of drug and alcohol users in police in eight European Union countries: Bulgaria, England and Wales, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Romania. Data were obtained from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with criminal justice professionals, health care staff, government and non-governmental agency employees, and people with problematic drug or alcohol use who have been in police detention. Additional data were obtained from national policy statements and official statistics.
Research findings describe each nation’s: police detention conditions and their impact on inmates with problematic drug or alcohol use; substance abuse treatment services and health care for detainees; the types and extent of harm reduction policies carried out during police detention; and the degree of coordination among criminal justice agencies in dealing with substance- abusing detainees. Conclusions, recommended improvements, and a summary of international standards are also presented.
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