More than three years after the 1997 Programme for Government listed the establishment of a Drugs Court as a key priority in the fight against crime, the Minister for Justice, Mr John O’Donoghue welcomed the first sitting of the court today.
|
|
Justice Minister welcomes new initiative
|
The aim of the scheme is to offer non-violent offenders over the age of 17, and with a history of crime and drug dependence, treatment rather than jail. The scheme is to be piloted for the next 18 months.
The treatment programmes will be court-supervised and will serve as an alternative to custodial sentences for those who co-operate successfully. Applications will be initially assessed for suitability by the treatment team and the probation officer assigned to the Court.
The Minister said the project was part of a wider Government policy aimed at tackling the problem on two levels: "Firstly, strong legislative measures backed up by a policy of tough enforcement to deal with the supply of drugs and secondly a multi-agency partnership approach to deal with the problems of drugs, crime and social deprivation." The Drugs Court project, he said, "fits well within this policy."
The experiment marks a major policy initiative in the criminal justice system. "I believe that the development of a Drugs Court system on a pilot basis is a milestone in the administration of criminal justice system and will provide an alternative method for dealing with less serious and non-violent drug offenders who are willing to take the rehabilitative route", Mr O’Donoghue said.
He added it was the first time offenders had been remanded for treatment rather than prison and he was encouraged by the success of similar programmes in the US.
Chairman of the Steering Committee, Judge Gerard Haughton said progress in the first 12 months of the project would be independently evaluated by the auditing firm Grant, Farrell, Sparks. He expressed his gratitude to all bodies involved, statutory and voluntary, and said the court would begin duties Tuesday next at 3.00 p.m.
President of the District Court, Justice Smithwicks, welcomed the "ambitious project" and said he hoped the pilot would be "a lead-in for drug courts throughout the country".
The estimated cost of treating an addict for 12 months is about £5,000 while it costs £40,000 to send someone to prison for the same period of time. The Drug Court will be funded from existing resources.