ABSTRACT
The relationship between substance misuse and mental health, and the difficulties of effective joint working with people with coexisting conditions, is familiar to academic researchers and professionals in the health and criminal justice systems. This chapter will review the policy and service landscape for substance misuse services’ partnerships with probation in England and Wales, focusing upon drug misuse. We will consider both the impacts of austerity and the Transforming Rehabilitation probation reforms. Drawing upon the joint thematic inspection of community drug treatment and recovery work with people on probation (HM Inspectorate of Probation, Care Quality Commission, Healthcare Inspectorate for Wales, 2021), we will present a holistic view of the contemporary challenges faced by practitioners working with people on probation with problematic drug use. Some views from service users are also presented, which were obtained through an independent consultancy.
