Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) Programme

Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) Programme

The National Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) Board are pleased to invite you to the third CSTR Conference which this year will be held virtually.   The purpose is to provide existing and developing sites with an update on programme developments, along with the future focus for scale-up based on the outcome of the learnings from the current CSTR sites.

The day will commence with an overview of the CSTR programme leads along with an opening address from Minister Philp (MoJ) and Minister Dorries (DHSC).

The main focus of the day will be an opportunity to discuss and launch the programme documents which will support the development of existing, developing and new sites as we move forward. We are pleased that we will have Lived Experience expertise supporting the programme and we will hear the impact this programme is having and will continue to have on people’s lives.

BACKGROUND to Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs)

Many offenders experience mental health and substance misuse problems, but the use of treatment requirements as part of a Community Order (CO) or Suspended Sentence Order (SSO) remains low.  Improved partnership working can increase the use of treatment requirements, particularly as an alternative to short custodial sentences.

The three treatment requirements are Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs), Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs – which include drug testing) and Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs).

THE CSTR PROGRAMME

This is a partnership between the Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Improvement, Public Health England and HM Prisons and Probation Service. It was launched in October 2017 to address the low use of treatment requirements.

The CSTR programme aims to:

• Increase the use of all three CSTRs, including the use of combined CSTRs: MHTR/ATR/DRR;
• Reduce reoffending and provide alternatives to short custodial sentences;
• Enable MHTR treatment availability (for both primary and secondary care);
• Develop partnerships and multidisciplinary steering groups;
• Strive for sentencing on the day, wherever possible;
• Increase awareness of the Judiciary and magistrates around mental health, substance misuse and associated vulnerabilities.

Eligibility for a Community Sentence Treatment requirement (CSTR) includes:

• 18 years +
• Convicted of an offence which falls within the CO/SSO sentencing threshold and presents with mental health, substance misuse and associated vulnerabilities
• Requirement of treatment related to mental health and/or substance misuse
• Expressed willingness to comply with the requirement (consent) and a provider[1] is willing to oversee the requirement.

[1] Providers are services that have been commissioned to deliver the mental health, drug or alcohol treatment requirements.

Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) Programme