DELAYS FUELLING TEEN DRUG ABUSE

Teenagers arrested on heroin charges are becoming hooked on the drug while
they face chronic delays in their cases getting to court, according to experts.

Average delays of seven months before juveniles appear in court have
alarmed magistrates, the police and drug counsellors.

Mr Paul McDonald, the head of Australia's largest service for young drug
abusers, said the delays, and other problems in Victoria's juvenile justice
system, had worsened adolescent drug addiction.

Research by the Children's Court revealed delays had increased since 1997.
Last year, under-17-year-olds charged with offences faced an average delay
of seven months before their charges were heard in court.

"The delays are intolerable and by the time kids on non-violent
drug-related charges are getting to court they're heavily drug dependent,"
Mr McDonald said.

"Adults are getting to the court system quicker than young people. When
they're charged we should have some sort of trigger mechanism to bang these
young people through a lot faster."

Victoria Police's operating manual states that officers should issue a
summons to appear in court within two months of charging a suspect.
Documents reveal senior police were so worried about the delays they
interviewed rank and file officers to discover the reasons for them.

They were told paperwork was often left incomplete at stations because
efforts were focused on patrol work and most stations no longer allowed
rostered time to do paperwork.

Chief Inspector Rod Norman, of the police youth affairs division, said some
delays were unavoidable but most could be improved through police, the
legal profession and the courts tackling the problem.

"There have been cases that have taken over 12 months to get a resolution,"
he said. "The delays are unacceptable but they are not just with the police."

Ms Jennifer Coate, senior Children's Court magistrate, said a new approach
was needed to deal with the problems of young drug offenders.

"There are currently unacceptable delays ... A number of aspects of the
system need to be looked at, including the possibility of establishing a
drug assessment and referral service at the Children's Court," she said.

Mr McDonald said a similar service existed in adult courts. "There is a
desperate and growing need to help these young people whose lives are being
destroyed and derailed by drugs," he said. "Whichever party wins government
needs to develop a new strategy to help young people break the drugs cycle."

Mr McDonald is executive officer of the Youth Substance Abuse Service, a
state-wide agency established by the State Government last year. He said a
ministerial taskforce should be set up to examine the possibility of:

Fast-tracking juvenile offenders into court.

A specialist drug advisory and referral service at Children's Court level.

A diversion system for non-violent drug offenders under 21 to go into
treatment services rather than jail.