NEW DRUG COURT TO OFFER TREATMENT-OR-PRISON OPTION

Drug addicts who plead guilty to non-violent offences such as theft or
forgery will soon be able to choose a rehabilitation program instead
of prison.

The Attorney-General, Mr Shaw, announced yesterday that NSW would
become the first State in the country to have a Drug Court, to be
established at Parramatta early next year under Judge Gay Murrell.

Under the plan, drug-users who are prepared to plead guilty to certain
crimes will be able to appear before the new court and choose prison
or 12 months of treatment and rehabilitation.

If they chose rehabilitation, they will have random urine tests and
appear before Judge Murrell initially every week.

Mr Shaw said the court - which is based on similar courts in the
United States - would have a two-year trial period and would cost
taxpayers an estimated $5 million.

If successful, the idea would be extended across the
State.

"We should not expect overnight success" in reducing the proportion of
drug-related criminal offences, Mr Shaw warned.

The Government says there are more than 13,900 people in NSW receiving
treatment for drug and alcohol dependency, including about 12,000 on
methadone programs.

The latest available statistics show that in the 18 months to July
1996 there were more than 30,300 recorded crimes in the State
involving drug offences - 65 per cent involving using or possessing
illegal drugs, mostly cannabis. About 16,000 people appeared before
local courts on drug-related charges.

The new scheme was questioned last night by the Opposition spokeswoman
on Health, Ms Jillian Skinner, who accused the Government of having
cut Health Department funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation
programs from $43.4 million to $41.3 million in the past financial
year.

She said a recent survey by the Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies
(NADA) had found that more than a third of people seeking admission to
rehabilitation centres in NSW were being turned away because of a
shortage of places.

"The scheme will not work because drug court judges will have nowhere
to send people for drug treatment and rehabilitation," she said.

The Independent MP for Bligh, Ms Clover Moore, also criticised the
Premier for supporting the drug court concept while rejecting other
measures, such as safe "shooting galleries".

Mr Shaw strongly rejected suggestions that criminals with a drug
addiction were being offered a "soft option", promising that offenders
would be strictly supervised by the court and health officials.

He said offenders who breached the program rules would face "a raft of
penalties", including being sent to prison.

"We need to punish drug dealing but we also need to tackle the causes
to make our community safer," he said.

"Drug courts are not a panacea but another part of our multi-pronged
approach to rehabilitation, education and tough law
enforcement."

Offenders accused of serious crimes, such as sexual assault, armed
robbery or other offences involving violence, would not be eligible
for the program.

The announcement was welcomed by Mr Ross Goodridge, a Sydney barrister
who has advocated the concept in the past.

He said similar schemes in the US had been highly successful, with
only about a quarter of offenders leaving the program or being forced
out of rehabilitation schemes and being sent to prison.

The head of rehabilitation services with the Salvation Army, Major
Brian Watters, also welcomed the scheme, saying it offered drug-users
a new opportunity to shake off their addiction.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry