Implementing Education-Based Drug Diversion

: Policy Into Practice

Abstract

This study critically assesses the implementation process of Education-Based Drug Diversion (EBDD) schemes in England and Wales and contributes to theoretical policy debate in the context of localised policing reforms. The research addresses a notable lack of literature on the implementation of drug diversion schemes in the literature and can inform future implementers of such schemes. EBDD diverts individuals found in possession of small amounts of drugs at the pre-arrest stage, offering short drug education courses, psychosocial one-to-ones or referrals to support services. In place of a sanction or criminal justice footprint the individual is processed using a Community Resolution. Adopting a
qualitative approach, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted across two case study sites, with ground level and managerial participants drawn from police forces and third-party agencies. The interviews examined the perceptions and experiences of participants to understand the surrounding context and factors that affected the implementation.

This research found that an increase in force-level discretion helped create space for policy innovation. Constrained resources, a strong sense of dissatisfaction with existing pathways for drug possession and an ethico-political shift among police officers towards more progressive attitudes on drugs created upwards pressure for policy change in both case study sites. The importance of private and professional experiences of key actors at the centre of each policy process is considered, motivating them to become involved in effecting change, and in turn the affective power of people who use drugs within the policy process. Linking these factors is a compassionate desire among participants to do the right thing. In contrast with traditional understandings of police decision-making, savvy social power was utilised effectively at the ground level, to exert influence upon senior managers. Other emergent themes included the role of technology in frontline policing practice and the delivery of diversionary interventions, the effectiveness of officer training models, informal disposals, stop search interactions, the suitability of education-based interventions and the identification of complex needs among those being referred to the schemes. An integrated theoretical approach was selected as an appropriate way to understand these local-level policy processes, with the Policy Constellation Approach, The Multiple Streams Framework and several other lenses knotted together to contribute to academic discussion.

Date of Award	13 May 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol