This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Drugs court pilot extended
06/10/2003
The ground-breakingGlasgowdrugs court is to be extended and tested on a larger
scale when the first stage of the pilot ends in
November.
The pilot will now be extended to Spring 2005 to
enable cases to be referred to the court at all stages in
the court process - instead of just from custody court
which is the present situation. It will also enable
the court to hear solemn as well as summary cases.
According to Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson,
more offenders being referred to the drugs court
through more routes will provide the Executive with a
stronger evaluation of its effectiveness before
determining whether to roll-out the model in the
future.
Ms Jamieson said:
"Two years ago, we set up the drugs court in Glasgow
- the first in theUKand only the second inEurope.
"Two years on, theGlasgowdrugs court is succeeding in dealing in a new way
with a group of offenders who have a pattern of serious
drugs misuse. This involves combining the authority
of the sheriff with access to drug treatment facilities,
regular drug testing and reviews of the offender's progress
in open court.
"At the heart of the drugs court is the principle
that it is more effective for criminal justice agencies
to work with social work, health and addictions
services to reduce drug addiction and, in so doing,
reduce the crime which feeds the habit.
"InGlasgow, early results are encouraging with addicts entering
treatmentprogrammes and being closely monitored. By
extending the referral routes
into the drugs court pilot more offenders can be
dealt with.
"Thorough evaluation is vital if we are to determine
whether the pilot scheme could provide a model for
additional drugs courts inScotland. Efficient and effective justice must be based on
evidence and results.
"The independent evaluation of the pilot is also
being extended to take account of these changes and will
report at the same time as the reconviction study which has
already been commissioned. This will show the
longer term impact on the re-offending rates of the
offenders who go through the drugs court.
"TheGlasgowdrugs court is not of course our only response to the
problem of drug-related crime but today's announcement will
ensure that it remains an important element in our overall
drugs strategy."
Drugs courts aim to reduce drug misuse and associated
offending byoffering treatment based options out with the
traditional court setting. The introduction of the
pilot drugs court followed the report of a Working Group
which concluded in May 2001 that the establishment of drugs
courts in Scotland was feasible within existing
legislation.
The first pilot drugs court was established
in
Glasgowin November 2001.
The objectives of the drugs court are to:
reduce the level of drug-related
offending behaviour;
reduce or eliminate offenders' dependence
on or tendency to use drugs; and
examine the viability and usefulness of a
drugs court inScotlandusing existing legislation.
The proposed target group for the drugs court is
offenders aged 21 yearsor older, of both sexes, who have a pattern of
serious drug misuse and offending, and whose drug misuse is
susceptible to treatment.
TheGlasgowdrugs court has the capacity to deal with 150-200
Orders peryear.130 Drugs CourtOrders have been imposed in 19 months. The
modification to the referral route will help the court to
achieve its capacity whilst maintaining the quality of the
service.