Drug Court extended for 4 years
By Fergus Shiel
Law reporter
May 10, 2005
Victoria's Drug Court will be continued for at least four more years. A study found that the court had cut reoffending rates, helped offenders get back into work and stabilised their lives.
The evaluation of the pilot court program, which has been running in Dandenong since 2002, revealed lower theft, violence and drug offences among the offenders it dealt with.
The rate of full-time employment among those who went through the court system more than doubled from 11 per cent to 25 per cent, and the proportion that were unemployed fell from 86 per cent to 54 per cent.
Homelessness among those who went through the system was eliminated and the overall proportion living with a partner, or with children, almost doubled to 41 per cent.
Attorney-General Rob Hulls welcomed the report's findings during a visit to the Drug Court in Dandenong yesterday.
"Three years ago we established the Drug Court of Victoria at Dandenong as a pilot program and the jury is now in. The Drug Court's approach of using drug treatment orders as an alternative to prison is working," he said.
"Graduates of the program are getting their lives back on track.
"They are overcoming their drug dependency, establishing - or re-establishing - relationships with partners and children, re-offending less and finding work and stable housing."
The Drug Court's goals are to reduce drug-related crime by addressing its underlying causes and keeping offenders out of the prison system.
A magistrate, police prosecutor, legal aid solicitor, clinician and case manager work together to break the cycle of drug-related crime and jail.
The court, a division of the Magistrates' Court, can impose drug treatment orders for drug and alcohol treatment, medical, psychiatric and psychological treatment and order attendance at vocational, educational and employment programs.
Since it was set up, the court has issued 133 treatment orders, with 23 participants successfully completing their orders so far.
The evaluation was commissioned by the Department of Justice and conducted by Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre, Health Outcomes International and Acumen Alliance.
The evaluation found that more than two-thirds of Drug Court participants reoffended, including 92 per cent of those whose drug treatment orders were cancelled.
But members of the treatment group committed offences at a lower rate than before treatment and at a lower rate (4.49 offences a year in the community) than the members of the comparison group (5.8 offences) who had served prison terms. As of last month 53 were undertaking a drug treatment order.
Mr Hulls said more than $7 million had been allocated to continue the Drug Court over the next four years as part of a $24.3 million budget package to reduce the rate of re-offending in Victoria.
