A NEW study has shown that three quarters of people in the criminal justice system have a problem with alcohol.

Research carried out by Teesside University found that those in the system are almost ten times more likely to be dependent on alcohol compared with the general population.

Professor Dorothy Newbury-Birch, of the Alcohol and Public Health Research in Teesside University’s Health and Social Care Institute carried out a review to determine levels of alcohol dependency in the various stages of the criminal justice system in the UK.

Figures showed that around three quarters of those people have a problem with alcohol – compared to around a quarter in the general population. This applies to those who have been arrested in police custody, those in the probation setting and those in the prison system.

Professor Newbury-Birch, who has recently been nominated for the Stockholm Criminology Prize for her work around alcohol, said: “This study was the first of its kind to synthesise what we know about risky drinking in the criminal justice system in the UK. It shows that alcohol dependency and risky drinking are prevalent throughout all stages of the criminal justice system.”

The research found that up to 88 per cent of adults in the police custody setting, 69 per cent in the probation setting and 86 per cent in the prison system are risky drinkers.

She added: “This work is so important to the field, it gives us the information we need to develop appropriate interventions in the criminal justice setting for those with alcohol problems.”

The professor and her team of researchers are also involved in a collaborative research project with Dr Aisha Holloway from the University of Edinburgh, examining a new approach to help male remand prisoners tackle drinking problems.

She said: “In order to get appropriate interventions in place around alcohol we need to be working with practitioners and individuals involved in the criminal justice system – I am lucky to be involved with a group of dedicated researchers, practitioners and policy makers to take this work forward.”