EPPIC (Exchanging Prevention practices on Polydrug use among youth In Criminal justice systems)
EPPIC is a three year European project which focuses on prevention and addressing all types of illicit drug use among young people (15-24) who are in touch with the criminal justice system. The project involves partners in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland and UK) and is led by DARC Co-Directors, Betsy Thom and Karen Duke.
A range of qualitative approaches will be used to identify innovative prevention approaches and projects; to collect new information: on the drug using trajectories of young people in the criminal justice system and on their perceptions and experiences of interventions; and to examine the views of service providers on prevention approaches for this target group.
The project aims to:
- Gather knowledge, exchange best practice and identify transferable innovations and principles of good practice on interventions to prevent illicit drug use, the development of polydrug use and the use of new psychoactive drugs (NPS) among young people in touch with the criminal justice systems in partner countries;
- Based on existing European Drug Prevention Quality Standards, develop a set of guidelines adapted to the development of initiatives aimed at the target group;
- Initiate a European knowledge exchange network for practitioners and stakeholders working with young people in the criminal justice system.
The project ran from January 2017 till February 2020.
