What does Dame Carol Black’s review of drug and alcohol misuse services mean for probation services?

Abstract

The Review of Drugs in two parts by Dame Carol Black (2020, 2021) has put new life into the case for properly resourcing substance misuse services in England and Wales. The Black Review has largely been accepted by the UK Government; Dame Carol’s analysis and recommendations have been the catalyst for additional funding and a renewed policy focus upon enforcement, treatment and prevention of drug misuse. Nevertheless, the Review has been criticised for focussing upon low-harm recreational drugs, for lacking consideration of co-occurring alcohol and drug misuse, and for accepting the Government’s restricted remit which excluded from consideration the harms of criminalisation and the ‘war on drugs’ (Transform Drugs, 2021). The following will summarise the Black Review, and the associated research and evidence. The article also attempts to elucidate key implications for probation, and the new opportunities for probation professionals to restore their ‘fractured relationship’ (Ball and Parker, 2022) with substance misuse colleagues.