INJECTING FUNDS INTO DRUG FIGHT

AT LAST, after proposals to legalise heroin or public shooting galleries, an
alternative and acceptable proposal has been adopted. Yesterday's decision
by the State Government to establish a special court in Parramatta is an
innovative and positive step in the fight against drug-related crime.

The premise is simple. Offenders charged with non-violent or petty
drug-related crimes without extensive criminal histories can be selected to
appear before the court, if a guilty plea is entered, the offender is given
a choice - jail or enter a 12-month rigorous rehabilitation program. For the
first time, courts will become proactive.

Offenders will be recalled to the court regularly to monitor progress and
discuss the case. This process will include testing to ensure the offender
remains drug-free. Breaches of the program can result in a range of
penalties, from the withdrawal of privileges to jail terms. Based on a model
introduced in Miami in 1989, the results in America have been more than
encouraging. There are now drug courts in 18 states. More than 70 per cent
of offenders remain in treatment, with only four per cent re-offending.

With 62,000 drug users in NSW and statistics that indicate drugs are the
underlying factor in up to 70 per cent of all crime, the NSW trial is a step
that had to be taken.

Success will not come overnight and it will depend on the effectiveness of
the rehabilitation process.

Well before the new court conducts its first session next year, the
Government must ensure sufficient resources are available.

The Health Department will oversee the rehabilitation program but agencies
that will administer it even now are under-resourced. According to the
executive director of the Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies, Peter
Connie, for every person who volunteers for rehabilitation, three are turned
away. This must be addressed. It would be a travesty to see such a promising
initiative falter because of inadequate funding.

Checked-by: Don Beck