Sentenced to treatment? Criminal justice orders and the health service

Abstract

There can be little doubt that the long-term effects of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) will occupy the minds of many academics and policy implementers for some time to come. Like many others, this article is influenced by this recent piece of legislation, and reflects on one element of the Act, namely the possible outcomes of Part IV, sections 61–64, the drug treatment and testing orders. Specifically, the article discusses the potential consequences of ‘coerced treatment’ for those charged with implementing the new scheme and the tensions between health and the criminal justice system such orders may bring.