Online report 06/07 - The evaluation of the Restriction on Bail Pilot Final report

This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Restriction on Bail pilot (RoB). RoB was introduced in 3 pilot sites in May 2004 and provides for a restriction on court bail for adult defendants who have tested positive for a specified class A drug and whose offence is a drug offence or believed to be related to, or motivated by, their drug misuse. RoB gives drug using offenders the choice of attending an assessment and any relevant treatment/follow-up or face the risk of being denied bail and remanded in custody. The report focuses on the implementation of the provision in the pilot sites during the first eighteen months of the intervention; it shows that RoB has been a success in terms of its implementation. During the period covered by this report 1,315 defendants had RoB imposed, of this 93 per cent who were assessed were recommended for treatment and of these 70 per cent were not in treatment at the time of assessment. Three–quarters of defendants bailed with Rob were retained in treatment for 12 weeks or more. The report also tells us of defendant and stakeholders views on the intervention.