This paper reports on a review of the literature on the quasi-compulsory treatment (QCT) of drug dependent offenders in five languages; English, German, French, Italian and Dutch. The findings of this review on previous reviews and on the availability, process, and outcomes of QCT are summarized. The review found that previous, anglophone reviews have tended to present positive outcomes from QCT, but that there are some problems with this research. QCT is increasingly available internationally, but may be applied at different stages of the criminal justice process, and to different types of offender. Research on the process of QCT is comparatively rare. The available research does suggest problems of system integration between criminal justice and treatment agencies in implementing QCT. The research in languages other than English shows a wider range of outcomes (including negative effects) for QCT than was found in the English literature. We conclude that the international literature shows that QCT does not inevitably produce worse outcome than voluntary treatment, but that we need more multimethod, multisite studies of QCT in order to inform policy and practice, which is currently being made in the absence of reliable evidence in many countries.

This article contributes to the literature on drug users, victimization and offending using data on 545 dependent drug users entering treatment in four European countries. Members of the sample were exposed to high levels of criminal victimization. Sub-groups who were particularly vulnerable to crime were women (and especially sex workers), the homeless, recent offenders and those with a history of poor mental health. Multivariate analysis indicated that frequent drug use, recent offending and histories of depression and anxiety were significantly predictive of violent victimization, and only gender and a history of anxiety were significantly predictive of property victimization. The article discusses how these findings relate to theoretical approaches to victimization, in both positivist and critical frameworks. K E Y

This paper reports on intake data from Quasi-Compulsory Treatment in Europe, a study of quasi-compulsory treatment (QCT) for drug dependent offenders. It explores the link between formal legal coercion, perceived pressure to be in treatment and motivation amongst a sample of 845 people who entered treatment for drug dependence in five European countries, half of them in quasi-compulsory treatment and half ‘voluntarily’. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it suggests that those who enter treatment under QCT do perceive greater pressure to be in treatment, but that this does not necessarily lead to higher or lower motivation than ‘volunteers’. Many drug-dependent offenders value QCT as an opportunity to get treatment. Motivation is mutable and can be developed or diminished by the quality of support and services offered to drug-dependent offenders.

Aim: This study evaluates quasi-compulsory drug treatment (QCT) arrangements for substance-dependent offenders receiving treatment instead of imprisonment in comparison to voluntary treatment within five European countries. Methods: Participants were interviewed with the European Addiction Severity Index, the ASI-crime module, questions on perception of pressure and self-efficacy, and the Readiness-to-Change Questionnaire at treatment entry and after 6, 12, and 18 months. Results: Reductions in substance use and crime as well as improvements in health and social integration were observed in QCT and voluntary treatment groups. After controlling for various factors, subjects in the QCT and the comparison group showed similar reductions in substance use and crime over time. Study retention was comparable in both groups. Conclusion: QCT is as effective as voluntary treatment provided in the same services in reducing substance use and crime.

Nowadays, the use of different classes of materials in the same structure is increased to keep pace with innovation and high structural performances. In this context, structural components made of different materials need to be joined together and a possible solution is given by arc welding. Dissimilar welded joints must often be able to withstand fatigue loads; however, Design Standards provide fatigue strength categories only for homogeneous welded joints. The aim of the present paper is to compare the fatigue behaviour of EN-GJS-1050 austempered ductile iron-to-S355J2 steel dissimilar joints to the categories of the corresponding homogeneous steel welded joints, as suggested in International Standards and Recommendations. For this purpose, experimental fatigue tests were performed on a selection of dissimilar welded details. First, the microstructure was identified by metallographic analysis; micro-hardness measurements were collected and residual stress profiles were obtained by using the X-ray diffraction technique on a selection of joints. Misalignments were quantified for all specimens. Then, experimental fatigue tests have been performed on a number of joint geometries subject to axial or bending fatigue loadings and tested in the as-welded conditions. The fracture surfaces of the joints have been analysed to locate fatigue crack nucleation sites.