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.