Keele Research Repository

Crime reduction is a key objective in drug treatment policy and practice, and the criminal justice system (CJS) is a key player in the delivery of treatment, particularly its potential to provide a pathway into drug treatment. Despite cultural, ideological and philosophical differences, criminal justice and health sector workers are expected to work together alongside other agencies to address dependent drug use and associated harms. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with drug treatment practitioners this article critically examines a number of assumptions underpinning this policy imperative. The author illustrates how the goals and everyday activities of drug workers have become aligned to the CJS, helping to create closer working relationships between these two agencies. However, also argued is how such changes may have helped to constrain drug workers’ relationships with other health and social care agencies, making it difficult to address the complex needs presented by dependent drug users.