Dubbo's drug court has topped the Law Society of NSW's list of priorities for the 2019 state election.
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Expanding the NSW Drug Court to the state’s west was just one of the key law and order issues outlined in the society’s 2019 State Election Platform, which was launched by president Doug Humphreys on Tuesday.
NSW was the first state to trial and evaluate a drug court in Australia, which now operates in Parramatta, Toronto and Sydney. The Court’s statutory object is to reduce drug-related criminal activity by diverting drug dependent offenders to rehabilitation programs.
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“Expanding the drug court to Dubbo will ensure that a greater number of drug-dependent offenders are offered the most appropriate treatment and rehabilitation and ultimately help reduce recidivism,” Mr Humphreys said.
“However, the work of the NSW Drug Courts will need to be supported with increased funding for additional detoxification and rehabilitation services, particularly in the state’s regional, remote and rural areas.
“The Law Society is calling on all political parties contesting the March 2019 state election to commit to a piloting a drug court in Dubbo in tandem with increasing drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for this and other regional areas.”
Mr Humphreys said the use of prohibited drugs by members of the public was both a major health issue as well as a criminal justice problem.
“The drug court aims to treat health issues as well as social and justice issues for drug-dependent people, to prevent them causing harm to the community by committing offences because of their drug dependencies,” he said.
“Research has consistently shown that the drug court program is more cost-effective than prison in reducing drug-related crime,” he said.
“While the NSW government has devoted significant resources to the detection and policy of drug and alcohol related offences, it should be providing more resources for residential drug rehabilitation services to address the underlying issues.”
The society’s other election priorities include: better resources for courts and the justice system; promoting investment and business innovation; upholding the rule of law; reducing the incarceration rate, and; Indigenous justice.
