Judges get expert help in drug cases

Only about 5 per cent of people convicted of drug offences are currently referred for treatment. Photo / Dean Purcell

Judges have begun using drug and alcohol experts in court to see if more criminals should be placed in treatment instead of jail.

The aim is to establish a national screening service, which would tackle the addictions involved in the vast majority of criminal cases.

But one specialist has warned that the Government would have to quadruple its spending on treatment services for the plan to work.

About 80 per cent of crime in New Zealand is thought to be driven by drugs and alcohol but very few people who appear before the courts are referred for treatment.

Wellington alcohol and drug counsellor Roger Brooking said his analysis of Ministry of Justice figures showed that judges referred only 5 per cent of about 200,000 convictions each year. He criticised the "almosttotal failure" of the judicial systemto push offenders with drug and alcohol problems into treatment.

"Judges have an incredible opportunity to compel someone into a treatment programme ... but unfortunately they don't do it," he said.

Chief District Court Judge Russell Johnson told the Weekend Herald that judges wanted to send more people for treatment but until recently there were very few options available.

One of the most promising new initiatives was a medical assessment in court of offenders' alcohol and drug problems. The pilot programme, set up by Judge John Walker, was available in the District Court at Wellington, Porirua, Kaikohe and Whangarei and in the Youth Court at Hamilton and Rotorua.

It began in April last year and was due to finish in June next year.

He hoped the Government would agree to make it available throughout the country if it proved successful.

Judge Johnson said new options were needed because the Government had decided not to put more money into experimental youth drug courts.

"I think the reasoning was largely that there weren't enough 'bangs for bucks' because the Youth Court deals with relatively small numbers.

"So we've had to turn to look at ways of mainstreaming the same sort of service."

He added that some offenders were assessed as unsuitable for treatment and judges also had to balance rehabilitation of offenders with the need for deterrent and punishment.

Mr Brooking welcomed the idea of a national screening service but said there would be no places for addicts unless the Government spent at least four times as much on treatment.

"There's probably 250,000 people in New Zealand that need treatment but only about 25,000 getting it.

"Odyssey House in Auckland has a waiting list of 12 to 18 months. You can't even get in there."

A spokesman for Health Minister Tony Ryall said it was Government priority to improve access to treatment, especially for young people.

A spokesman for Corrections Minister Judith Collins said the number of prisoners able to receive drug and alcohol treatment would be doubled from 500 to 1000 a year by 2011.