SPECIAL DRUG COURT TO BE SET UP FOR ADDICTS INVOLVED IN CRIME

A US style drug court with emphasis on treatment rather than jail will be
set up in Dublin later this year. It will specifically hear cases against
drug addicts involved in non violent drug related crime.

A report to be published next month will recommend the drug court operate on
a trial basis in Chancery St District Court. The Department of Justice hope
similar courts will be installed in district courts across Dublin in twelve
months time. Details on how the system will be introduced in other parts of
the country have yet to be finalised.

“The aim is to recommend treatment for addicts instead of imprisonment. The
treatment will be coercive, so if an addict passes up on treatment, they can
be referred for sentencing,” said one member of the committee which is
drawing up the report.

“We found that when addicts were sentenced to a length of time in prison,
they often came out in a worse state than before they went in,” he said.

Violent crimes committed by addicts will be dealt with in the Circuit
courts.

The report is being drawn up by a planning committee attached to the
Department of Justice, and will be presented to the Minister for Justice
John O’Donoghue towards the end of August.

The new drug court system was welcomed by Independent TD and Local Drugs
Task Force member Tony Gregory.

“It offers something else instead of the revolving door nature of
imprisonment,” he said. “Because addicts will be referred for treatment, the
drug courts will also show up the inadequacies of treatment and
rehabilitation that are available. This will force the deficit in treatment
for addicts to be addressed,” he said.

However, Mr Gregory said that the drug courts still left the issue of
serious, drug related crime unresolved.

“We had the extraordinary situation recently where a judge said a person
found guilty of dealing massive amounts of drugs deserved a severe penalty
and the dealer got six years.

“This type of ignorance as to what constitutes severe sentencing needs to be
rectified,” Mr Gregory added.