ADDICTS GET NEW WAY TO KICK HABIT

DRUG addicts will be offered treatment rather than jail in a new drug court
which starts next month.

The court is part of a new strategy which will look at drug addiction as a
health problem rather than a crime.

Attorney-General Peter Foss said last night that the drug court would mean
more time could be spent on cases to find a way for addicts to control
their habit.

"The drug court system is the key initiative of the comprehensive diversion
strategy which will be seeking to engage all drug offenders - from the
first timer to the long-term user - to help them rehabilitate," he said.
"The court will be involved in managing the progress of offenders. It will
bring together the community's desire to see drug offenders not simply
punished but also treated."

Mr Foss will announce today the appointment of Julie Wager, who has 14
years experience as a criminal lawyer, as the court's magistrate.

Ms Wager, 37, said the move was an important step in the fight against
crime because much of the work of courts was related to drug addiction.

"It will not be an adversarial system," she said. "The idea is for
prosecutors, defence lawyers, the magistrate and the health professionals
to work together. As a criminal lawyer, I feel I have a real understanding
of the drug problem in our community. It's not just possession of drugs,
it's the crimes which are committed to get money for drugs - shoplifting,
stealing, burglary."

Details about how the new court will operate were sketchy last night.

But last year the minister responsible for drug abuse, Rhonda Parker, said
addicts charged with offences could go through normal court procedures or
plead guilty and go before the drug court.

Once in the drug court, offenders could be given a suspended or deferred
sentence if they agreed to treatment in a drug rehabilitation centre on a
residential or daily basis. Chief Magistrate Steven Heath said yesterday
the court was an exciting initiative.

"It is hoped that the direct contact with the magistrate on a regular basis
will keep people motivated," he said.

"It is far better to get hold of people at the petty shoplifting stage
rather than after they are doing armed robberies."

John Prior, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, supported the
new court. He said a specialist would be needed to run it and Ms Wager was
perfect for the job.

Opposition legal matters spokesman Jim McGinty said Labor had supported the
idea of a drug court for some time and Ms Wager was an outstanding appointment.