December 23, 2004: More Jailed Due to Alcohol Than Drugs: Howard League

More young men are in prison because of alcohol than drugs, according to a report just published by the Howard League for Penal Reform. The report, entitled A Sobering Thought, is part of the Howard League for Penal Reform’s Out for Good two-year research project.

The report concludes that more than half (52 per cent) of 18-20 year olds in prison say alcohol was one of the reasons they got into trouble, whereas 43 per cent say drugs played a part. The research demonstrates that over 7,000 young men are received into prison each year because of offending, which they themselves say, is related to alcohol. The research also found that:

• Three quarters of young male prisoners had been suspended, excluded or had stopped attending school.
• Half of young male prisoners were unemployed before they went to prison.
• More than a quarter (27 per cent) had been in care.
• More than half (52 per cent) had a family member who had been in prison.

The Howard League has called for:

• More accessible and meaningful alcohol awareness highlighting the damage that alcohol can do, taking into account the ways in which young people consume alcohol.
• Recognition that abstinence focussed approaches to tackling drinking are highly unlikely to be effective.
• More sophisticated approaches to tackling alcohol use should be adopted rather than following the drug misuse model which has largely focussed on criminal justice, rather than health, interventions.
• Criminal justice agencies to provide support and advice to young offenders in relation to alcohol use, alcohol-related health problems, and links between drinking and offending.
• A reduction in the number of young men held in prison in recognition of the damage that imprisonment does in relation to mental health, family contact, employment, housing and the ongoing life chances of the individual.