DRUNKENNESS OFFENSES ARE INCREASING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND A MORE RATIONAL SYSTEM OF HANDLING THE PROBLEM OF CHRONIC DRUNKEN OFFENDERS, INCLUDING TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION ARE NEEDED. THERE ARE 100,000 CASES OF DRUNKEN OFFENSES PER YEAR IN ENGLAND AND WALES AND 50,000 CASES IN SCOTLAND. STUDIES SHOW THAT HALF OF THESE OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE TERMED ALCOHOL ADDICTS. A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF REHABILITATION FOR THE ALCOHOLIC OFFENDER IS THUS NEEDED. TWO PILOT PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN STARTED IN LEEDS AND MANCHESTER. ALTHOUGH NEITHER CLAIMS TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM AT THE PRESENT TIME, EVENTUALLY IT IS HOPED THAT A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION WILL DEVELOP AS A RESULT OF STUDIES BASED ON THESE PROGRAMS. THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN ORGANIZING A DETOXIFICATION SYSTEM ARE COMPLEX AND THE RESULTS SEEN IN OTHER SYSTEMS ARE NOT ENCOURAGING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE NON-HOSPITAL-BASED SCHEME IN ONTARIO, CANADA, APPARENTLY HAS HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON THE NUMBER OF DRUNKEN ARRESTS. THIS SYSTEM DOES NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH IMPETUS FOR LONG-TERM REFERRALS; ONLY ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THOSE TREATED INITIALLY PURSUE LONG-TERM CARE. THE RESULTS OF TREATMENT IN TERMS OF ABSTINENCE AND RECOVERY ARE ALSO VERY LIMITED. THUS, IN DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM IN ENGLAND THE DIFFICULTIES AND COMPLEXITIES OF PROVIDING ADEQUATE CARE FOR THE CLIENT IN ORDER THAT HE BECOME REHABILITATED MUST BE EFFECTIVELY DEALT WITH. TABLES AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)