The groundbreaking NSW Drug Court will be expanded to Dubbo in an effort to tackle the ice epidemic that has particularly afflicted regional communities.
The specialist court, which seeks to keep drug-dependent offenders out of prison, already exists in the Sydney CBD, Parramatta and the Hunter region and has achieved impressive results: the reoffending rate among participants is 17 per cent lower than for people outside the program.
NSW Drug Court Senior Judge Roger Dive says no one chooses to be a drug addict. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
On Thursday, NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman announced Dubbo as the next site for the Drug Court as part of a drive to be “tough and smart” on drug crime.
The government will commit $27.9 million over four years to fund the expansion of the court, which enrols participants in an intensive 12-month program following referrals from the Local and District Courts.
The participants are drug-dependent adults who have pleaded guilty to their charges. The program, which excludes violent and sex offenders, aims to break the cycle of addiction and crime with comprehensive health and social support.
Participants have to submit to regular drug testing and court appearances. Prison remains an option if people do not complete the program successfully.
The ice epidemic has particularly affected regional communities like Dubbo.
Mr Speakman said illicit drug abuse was a complex problem that destroyed the lives of users and also affected their communities and families.
“Tackling this scourge means listening to experts and changing our approach, not continuing the insanity of doing the same thing over again expecting the problem to disappear,” he said.
“It’s not enough to be ‘tough on crime’; instead we need to be tough and smart. We need responses based on evidence, not on outmoded prejudices or easy headlines. We need responses that actually make a difference for the individuals, families, friends and communities battling illicit drug abuse.”
Mr Speakman said the program was “not a soft option” and was proven to be a more cost-effective way of driving down crime than sending offenders to prison.
“It’s no surprise, then, that the NSW Police support it too,” he said.
Drug Court senior Judge Roger Dive, who has been leading the court for 17 years, said people did not choose to be drug addicts and were often the last to know it’s possible to get better.
“Our society gains when we do something really sensible and give drug users an opportunity to recover. It’s good for the community, good for the budget and very good for the families of those in recovery,” he said.
A study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, released last year, found the reoffending rate among 604 participants monitored over more than a decade was 17 per cent lower than similar offenders outside the program. They also took 22 per cent longer to commit a violent offence.
The Drug Court facility will be located at Dubbo Court House. Credit: Fergus Hunter
The court funding is part of the next state budget, to be unveiled on Tuesday. The Dubbo facility has already been constructed as part of an upgrade at the Dubbo Court House.
The Law Society of NSW, representing the state’s solicitors, said there had long been a pressing need for the Drug Court in Dubbo.
“Expanding the Drug Court to Dubbo will ensure that a greater number of drug-dependent offenders in the local area are offered the most appropriate treatment and rehabilitation and ultimately reduce recidivism,” the society’s president, Juliana Warner, said.
“This announcement is a much welcomed acknowledgement by the NSW government that the use of ice and other amphetamine type substances needs to be addressed as a major health issue, not just a criminal justice issue.”
Expanding the court to priority regional areas was a focus of recommendations made by the government’s special commission of inquiry into ice, which is methamphetamine in its crystallised form.
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