NCJ Number
187815
Date Published
December 2000
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This bulletin provides an overview of the first 17 months of operation of the New South Wales (NSW) Drug Court (Australia), covering the period from February 8, 1999, to June 30, 2000.
Abstract
Although the NSW Drug Court began operation as a 2-year trial in February 1999, it has since been extended approximately 6 months. It is located in the Parramatta Court complex and has both local and district court jurisdiction. The aim of the Drug Court is to divert drug-dependent offenders into supervised treatment programs designed to reduce or eliminate their drug dependence. The rationale for the Drug Court is that a reduction in a person's drug dependence through treatment should result in a reduction in that person's motivation to commit acquisitive crimes for money to pay for drugs. The Drug Court incorporates a combination of close supervision and therapeutic treatment. Persons processed by the Drug Court are given a treatment and supervision plan tailored to their individual needs. This bulletin provides information on program eligibility, program progression, and the evaluation of the drug court. Data on the first 17 months of the Court's operation address referrals, participation, the constituency of a comparison group, program compliance, treatment, participant characteristics, and Court workload. As of June 30, 2000, 313 persons had begun the Drug Court Program. A total of 10 had graduated from the program, and 133 had been terminated, leaving 170 participants remaining in the program. Of those still in the program, 28 had progressed to phase 3, and 54 had progressed to phase 2. Of the 313 Drug Court participants, 259 had a urine test result at their last court appearance, with 54.4 percent testing negative to all drugs prohibited by the Court. 15 figures, 11 tables, and 22 notes