Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO)
What is a DTTO?
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders are aimed at drug misusing offenders whose offending is directly related to their drug misuse.
DTTOs can only be imposed by the Court if an individual has been assessed as suitable by a social worker and medical staff (with expertise in substance misuse).
A DTTO can be for a period of 6 months to 3 years.
Work under the terms of a DTTO
If an individual is assessed as suitable for a DTTO and the Sheriff makes a DTTO, that individual will be supervised and their progress monitored by a social worker and medical staff.
A DTTO is an extremely intensive intervention where the individual will be seen up to four times per week for individual or group work to address the relevant issues. Levels of contact may subsequently reduce depending on progress.
Individuals subject to DTTOs will also have to undertake urine testing.
A DTTO treatment programme may include any of the following:
- Individual counselling around drug misuse
- Group work to support behaviour change
- Individual and group based work looking at personal/social skills development, practical problem solving, relapse prevention, health related advice and information
- Stabilisation/Detoxification
- Prescribing/Tolerance testing
- Other interventions including motivational work, coping with trauma, anxiety and anger management, constructive leisure activities, complementary therapies, etc.
DTTO reviews
As part of a DTTO, monthly review reports are provided to the Court which imposed the DTTO. These review reports include information about the individual's behaviour and progress. The individual subject to a DTTO will be expected to make a personal appearance in Court for these DTTO reviews.
At Reviews, the Court can:
- Change the requirements of the DTTO
- Extend the length of the order
- Revoke the order (for good progress)
- Revoke the order and impose an alternative sentence (in the case of failure to comply or breach)