Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 12 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 5

Written Answers - Drug Courts.

Seán Barrett

Ceist:

36 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the operation to date of the Drug Court; if it his intention to extend the pilot programme to other parts of the country where the problem of drug addiction and drug abuse is prevalent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7885/01]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue):

The 1997 Programme for Government included, in the context of measures to combat the drugs problem, the creation of a Drug Courts system which would involve court supervised treatment programmes for less serious drug related offences. Following the reports of the working group on a courts commission and an expert Drug Court planning committee, which I established, the pilot Drug Court programme was launched in the Dublin District Court on 9 January 2001 and the first sitting took place on 16 January. The court sits on Tuesday and Thursday, at 3 p.m. at the Richmond Courthouse, and each sitting is preceded by a meeting of the Drug Court team and the judge. I should mention that the Drug Court planning committee included representatives of a wide range of interests, including the community sector. Strict criteria must be satisfied before an offender may be admitted to the Drug Court programme. Specifically, the offender must be over 17 years of age, reside within the catchment area, Dublin's north inner city, for a minimum of one year, have pleaded guilty or been found guilty in court of a non-violent criminal offence, be liable to be sentenced if convicted, be dependent on the use of prohibited drugs and/or prescribed drugs, have a clear understanding of the implications of participation with the Drug Court, and be willing to co-operate with supervision, stop offending, avail of appropriate drug treatment and participate generally on the programme put in place.

It is a matter for the Judiciary as to whether an offender should be admitted into the Drug Court programme and acceptance does not mean that the participant can no longer be dealt with by the ordinary criminal courts. A participant may have his participation in the Drug Court programme terminated for non-compliance with the rules of the programme and in that event, the offender is referred back to the original court for the finalisation of his or her case. The Drug Court planning committee was established to develop an integrated cross service strategic plan involving court supervised treatment programmes on the basis of the re-allocation of resources, both budgetary and staffing, from other programmes, including programmes in the criminal justice system. I understand that, to date, 15 offenders have been referred to the Drug Court from the Dublin District Court. The pilot programme marks a major policy initiative in the criminal justice system and is designed as an alternative measure for dealing with less serious and non-violent drug offenders. The project is being evaluated by expert consultants who were appointed following a public procurement process. The merit of implementing a Drug Court programme on a national basis will be considered following the completion and evaluation of the pilot project in Dublin.