DRUGS-ONLY COURT PLAN FOR VICTORIA

Victoria may soon have its own special "drug court" that will take
some drug offenders out of the normal criminal justice system.

Drug courts, already the subject of a trial in New South Wales, and
close to implementation in Western Australia and South Australia,
differ from traditional courts in their focus on treatment and
rehabilitation rather than penalties and incarceration.

The Victorian Health Minister, Mr John Thwaites, yesterday described
the drug court system as a good idea and one the Government would be
likely to consider favorably.

A timetable for its implementation in Victoria would likely match that
of supervised injecting rooms, which Mr Thwaites said would probably
be in place by the end of the year.

The drug court procedure is non-adversarial, with the magistrate,
prosecution, defence and drug treatment providers working together to
help the offender through a comprehensive treatment and supervision
program as an alternative to jail.

If offenders failed to comply with the conditions of the "intensive
drug rehabilitation order" they could be sent to jail.