BREAKING THE HABIT AND CYCLE OF CRIME

There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that a significant
majority of offences of robbery, burglary and theft are committed by
persons seeking money to buy drugs.

In many of these cases, breaking the drug habit will also break the cycle
of offending.

At present, in a limited number of cases, the courts have been able to deal
with the drug matter by placing the offender on an intensive supervision
order including a drug treatment program requirement.

The advantage of the drug court proposal is that it gives the offender the
choice of being dealt with by a normal court or the drug court.

In the drug court, sentencing may be deferred or the sentence suspended, so
long as the offender undergoes treatment in a drug rehabilitation centre.

The treatment may be residential, or on a daily or other attendance basis.
Regular urinalysis would monitor progress.

Failure to attend the treatment program, or to progress satisfactorily,
could result in being sent to prison to serve the suspended or deferred
sentence.

The emphasis, however, will be on rehabilitation.

The object is to get offenders into treatment and off drugs to break the
cycle of offending.

The implementation of the treatment programs will be supervised by the
court-diversion service.

In the US and elsewhere, drug courts have met with some success in
addressing drug use and repeat offending by alcohol- and drug-dependent
offenders.

The advantage of a specialist court is that offenders are brought before
the same judicial officer on each appearance. The proceedings can be
conducted with greater flexibility.

I support the proposal in principle because of its potential for diverting
offenders away from drug use and the commission of offences to get money to
buy drugs.

It is one of many measures that need to be taken to tackle the causes of
crime to reduce or prevent future offending.