Dedicated Drug Court: the bigger picture

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Dedicated Drug Court the bigger picture

• Jocelyn Green
• Criminal Strategy Directorate

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The drugs problem.

• Studies have shown that
• The total economic and social cost of problem
  drug misuse is between 10 - 18 billion
• Over two thirds of the highest rate offenders
• reported using cocaine or heroin
• were responsible for over half of all reported
  offences

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The Government agenda

• Strategy to tackle drug misuse
• Associated legislation e.g. drug testing,
  assessment, Restriction on Bail etc
• Sentencing options - Drug Treatment Testing
  Order - now Community Order with Drug
  Rehabilitation Requirement

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What is the Dedicated Drug Court ?

• Model developed from international evidence,
  consultation and existing best practice.
• Main elements
• Specialist panels and sittings to provide
  continuity in dealing with drug misusing
  offenders sentence -review-breach
• wider awareness of drug issues
• Improved inter-agency working - especially Courts
  and Probation Service

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Why a Drug Court?

• Potential Benefits
• reduce reoffending
• reduce drug misuse
• improve the administration of court business
• Contribute to Government strategy - commitment in
  DCA strategy 2004/9
• Lord Chief Justice and other senior judiciary
  support exploration of a model

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Role of HMCS

• To deliver drug courts by
• establishing pilots at 2 magistrates courts
• sites with volume of drug related crime DIP
  measures
• National steering group
• Local agreement to develop framework
• agencies through local steering groups
• Justices Issues Group
• evaluation of benefits and costs across the CJS
• creation of plans for rollout

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Timescales

• Pilots launched - 13 December 2005
• Interim evaluation - July 2006
• Final evaluation report and rollout - summer 2007
  and beyond

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• Contact Details
• Jocelyn Green
• tel [phone]
• email jocelyn.green_at_hmcourts-service.gsi.gov.uk