DRUG COURTS PILOT SCHEME NEEDS PROPER FUNDING

THE Labour Party, Democratic Left and drug treatment bodies have
welcomed the Government's decision to set up a drug courts' pilot
project, but have stressed the need to commit sufficient funds for the
scheme.

Justice and Law Reform Minister John O'Donoghue, yesterday, announced
a pilot scheme of drug courts, based on the US system, following the
recommendations of a working group on a courts commission chaired by
Supreme Court Justice Mrs Susan Denham.

The key element in the scheme would be to deal with non-violent
convicts and those guilty of non-serious offences by way of drug
treatment rather than sentencing them to jail terms. As part of the
scheme, if those on the drug treatment schemes were to lapse, the
option of a jail sentence would still remain. Announcing the scheme,
Mr O'Donoghue said: "Today's announcement marks a major policy
initiative in the criminal justice system. It is the beginning of a
fundamental realignment of the response of the criminal justice system
to those involved in less serious drug related offences.

The Labour Party's spokesman on Justice, Pat Upton, in welcoming the
initiative, said there was an absolute need to establish such a system
of dealing with drug addicts in Ireland.

"I would urge the Minister for Justice to fund this pilot court to the
maximum to ensure that all aspects of rehabilitation for drug addicts
are provided, including counselling, career guidance as well as
medical care."

Democratic Left spokesperson Liz McManus also welcomed the decision,
but called for sufficient funds to make it work.

"The commitment of the additional resources required to make the drug
courts a success will be costly, but in the long-run it will pay
dividends as we are already facing a huge social and economic cost for
drug abuse and its associated crime problem," he said.

Chief executive of the Coolmine Therapeutic Community in Dublin Jim
Comberton said that many judges were already doing their best to deal
with drug addicts by way of sending them to treatment centres like
his.

"This proposal will give the option of sending a chap to prison or
into recovery. It gives the chap the chance to make a choice at the
point of high motivation," he said.

"It is a lot more humane, based on problem solving and trying to
address the problems rather than just sending them to prison."

Assistant director of the Rutland Centre in Dublin Roland Anderson
said that the Minister's announcement was good news and that the
investment of money into the scheme would pay for itself because of
the high costs of drug addiction to society.

"We would welcome any initiative where people would have the
possibility of treatment rather than punishment," he said.

"The Government appears to have got the balance right, where everyone
who needs treatment would get treatment."

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady