Mr Boog has called for a 24-bed pilot to be set up to trial the drug court model in the region, claiming there was not enough regional beds for addicts involved in the criminal justice system.

“Why are we spending more and more on criminals just in prison and not doing so with something that might work better?” he said.

“There are programs for post-release drug and alcohol, but that’s a bit like issuing hearses with first aid kits – it’s too late.”

There were about 100 drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds west of the Blue Mountains, Mr Boog said, but only about half of those dealt with people involved in the criminal justice system.

The remaining beds were for voluntary admissions.

The Dubbo-based solicitor would like to see a facility locally, but said it was more important that something was established somewhere “accessible to country NSW”.

“We’ve only asked for approval of the concept with a view to funding, and the rest can be filled in later,” Mr Boog said.

He said governments needed to get out of a “law and order mindset which says the way to fix criminals is to beat them up until they reform”.

“It’s treated purely as a criminal act, but there are other issues involved as well,” Mr Boog said. “It is often still criminal, we can’t ignore that, but to just lock them up has not been shown to work.”

He said anyone involved, from the Aboriginal Legal Service and Legal Aid to the Department of Public Prosecutions, police and private lawyers, was “singing from the same song sheet”.

Dubbo Regional Council mayor Ben Shields and former NSW District Court Judge John Nicholson SC have also pledged their support for a drug court and rehabilitation facility in Dubbo in the past week.

Mr Boog said their support was significant.

“We’ve got to make more noise,” he said. “The only sadness is how many more lives are going to get screwed up before someone says ‘let’s do something positive’?

“I’m confident it will happen, but let’s not have too many more families messed up while we dither with it.”