FIRST US-STYLE DRUG COURT IS LAUNCHED IN SCOTLAND

THE first American-style drug court in Scotland was launched in Glasgow
yesterday in an attempt to clamp down on addicts and the crimes they commit.

The two-year pilot scheme will deal exclusively with repeat offenders. Its
aim is to help them lose their dependency and re-integrate them into normal
society. The court will target addicts over the age of 21 who have shown a
willingness to leave the world of drugs and have proven their ability to
change through a series of rigorous screening tests.

Launched yesterday by deputy justice minister Iain Gray, the court will
start its official business next Monday. Mr Gray denied the new court would
be a soft option for criminals and said it would have tough sanctions at
its disposal .

He added: "I believe everyone involved has been motivated by the potential
of drug courts to improve people's lives. That means the lives of drug
mis-users committing crime to feed their habits and the lives of the people
in our communities suffering at their hands."

The idea was inspired by drug courts in America and Canada, where research
has shown that they have a marked effect on repeat offending.

The cost of drug-related crime in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, where
there are nearly 15,000 registered addicts, is put at around £2.5 million a
year.

The system, based in the busiest court in Europe, aims to treat between 150
and 200 people a year.