Pubdate: Sat, 07 Oct 2000
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 The Sydney Morning Herald
Contact:  GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001
Fax: +61-(0)2-9282 3492
Website: http://www.smh.com.au/
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Author: Bernard Lagan

ONLY TWO ADDICTS OF 50 PASS DRUG COURT TREATMENT

Only two of the first 50 people to be dealt with by the experimental NSW 
Drug Court successfully completed its addict-treatment program, a report 
has disclosed.

The report finds that 38 of the first 50 drug offenders who elected to take 
the treatment program - rather than go to jail - were ejected from it, 
mostly because they relapsed into illegal drug use. Another 10 were still 
in the program, which mostly relies on methadone or abstinence to treat 
offenders.

The Drug Court was established in Western Sydney in February last year for 
a two-year trial to see if its alternative approach could lower criminal 
re-offending by drug users.

The report, prepared by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and 
released yesterday, evaluates the court's first 17 months.

Despite the high numbers ejected from the program in its early stages, the 
Government remains hopeful that the Drug Court will - by the time its trial 
ends early next year - be shown to have reduced repeat offending.

This is because of refinements made to the court since its inception which 
now appear to be responsible for higher numbers of offenders staying on its 
programs.

By June 30, 313 people had gone through the court and onto treatment programs.

Of these, 133 (42 per cent) had been made to leave the program - mostly for 
reverting to illicit drug use - and 10 had successfully completed their 
programs.

One of the most encouraging findings is that 82 per cent of all people who 
entered the Drug Court's treatment programs have not been convicted of 
offences since beginning treatment.

However, the report notes that there have been problems in testing 
participants for illegal drug use. The court requires that urine tests be 
conducted twice a week in the early stages of treatment. But the report 
finds that fewer than half the participants had the required number of tests.

It said the low numbers of people who were urine-tested might be due in 
part to the numbers ejected from treatment programs in their early stages.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney-General, Mr Debus, said yesterday that the 
State Government was buying a specially equipped campervan to increase 
random drug testing of those on treatment programs.

She said the Government always expected it would be difficult for drug 
offenders to stay on the court's treatment programs. But she said the 
numbers staying in the court's programs were higher than the retention 
rates for NSW's voluntary drug treatment programs.

Those who are ejected from the Drug Court's treatment programs have to 
return to court and may be imprisoned.

The leader of the Opposition, Mrs Kerry Chikarovski, said that while the 
Coalition had supported the setting up the court, it feared the Government 
was not providing sufficient funds to ensure urine testing was done.

The number of people being ejected from the treatment programs was 
alarmingly high, she said.
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