Drug Court treatment programs can be an effective alternative to prison for drug related offenders

A drugs court operating in every State and Territory for non-violent offenders is giving drug addicts a new lease on life. See how it works.

Young mum Cecilia lied and cheated to hide her addiction and keep on using drugs.

When she hit rock bottom and was handed a nine-month jail term for drug-related offending, she was given the option to instead go to a drug court.

It was a second chance, but Cecilia initially thought it was a “get out jail free card”.

“I thought … I’ll be able to beat the system. I can do this. I’ll still be able to use (drugs) and be home with my kids,” she said.

“But that didn’t work, it just made it worse for me, it made me lie about my use because I was embarrassed, to be honest, that I had used.”

Like Cecilia, Jodi – a mature-aged man – spiralled into uncontrollable drug use, criminal associations and an escalating pattern of offending.

After escaping police custody, Jodi went on the run “ducking down alleys and weaving through crowed streets” whenever police closed in.

New research shows that treating drug related offenders is far more effective than sending them to prison.

When Jodi was rearrested, charged and facing court, he sat sobbing and hopeless in the dock as he recalled what he once had in his life, according to a report on his case.

A veteran police sergeant took him aside, told him about the drug court option and the opportunity it might provide to turn his life around.

Cecilia and Jodi are two of the success stories of the drug courts every year that are now operating in every State and Territory for non-violent offenders.

And new research conducted jointly by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) shows that treating drug related offenders is far more effective than sending them to prison.

The researchers compared reoffending rates among drug court participants with offenders deemed eligible but not placed on it. Offenders were followed up over an average period of 13.5 years.

Participants were found to have a 17 per cent lower reoffending rate than those not in the program. They also took 22 per cent longer to commit another offence.

Professor Don Weatherburn, who led the study, said it was important to remember that the drug court was not dealing with people who had simply dipped their toe on the water of crime but large numbers who had committed serious offences and had long criminal records.

Professor Don Weatherburn speaks during a Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug 'Ice' in Sydney in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

“Almost one in 20 of the treatment group had accumulated 15 or more convictions. Our findings therefore show that participation in the Drug Court program can have lasting positive effects on the lives of recidivist offenders and are a credit to all those involved in the Drug Court program,” he said.

Cecilia said she started using drugs when her partner died suddenly.

“I was lost, broken and alone,” she said.

“Well, that’s how I felt. I looked for something to help numb the pain that I was feeling, and I turned to a drug that would destroy my life completely and my family and would end me up in jail for my stupidity.”

Now she is a grateful recovering addict.

“This program has shown me how to live again. I am no longer broken,” she said.

Originally published as Drug Court treatment programs can be an effective alternative to prison for drug related offenders