EARLY HELP FOR ADDICTS IN COURT

A pilot program aimed at identifying and treating drug addicts when they
first appear in court at bail hearings began in the ACT yesterday.

Launching the program, the Chief Minister-designate, Gary Humphries, said
it was "in essence the bare bones of a drug court".

"It is a court that has the power to deal with treatment in the same way
that it looks at punishment," he said.

On the program's first day two people were recommended for assessment under it.

The program, which will be reviewed on June 30 next year, is a joint
initiative of the ACT Magistrates Court and the Department of Health and
Community Care.

Those appearing on the court's general list could be recommended for
assessment, with up to four people able to be helped each day.

Treatment and help will be able to start at a bail hearing rather waiting
until sentencing.

Mr Humphries said a frightening number of people who committed serious
offences in the ACT were motivated by drugs.

"It is estimated that 40 per cent of offenders in the ACT were affected by
alcohol at the time of committing the offence, 9 per cent were affected by
drugs and 10 per cent were dependent on these drugs," he said.

The case managers in the program would be able to identify a person's
problems the day they appear in court and help the magistrate deal with
those problems.

"Something like 70 per cent of the people that end up in our remand centre
have a drug or alcohol problem of some kind," he said.

The program's success would be measured on whether it could deal with and
identify a person's problem and whether it could cut down the number of
repeat offenders.

Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill said there was no better time to change
people's ways then when they were under pressure.

"When you are arrested with criminal offences and before the court asking
for bail, that has to be the time when you are most under pressure," he said.

The program would help magistrates balance the needs of the drug offender
and the protection of the community.

"On one side you have got the situation of the offender, who might be
certainly drug-addicted, but unfortunately an offender who has been charged
with quite serious offences, and on the other side you have the community
who must be protected, so it is a very unique balance," he said.

He hoped the program would genuinely assist people who were in crisis to do
something about their addiction and that the community would be better
protected from them.