The NSW Drug Court is to expand to Dubbo to offer access to justice and drug rehabilitation to offenders.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the Court, currently operating in Sydney, Parramatta and Toronto, was a multi-Agency response to drug-related offending.
“The Court is proven to be more efficient at driving down crime and the intensive rehabilitation that it provides costs less than sending offenders to prison,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The Drug Court is a tried and tested silver bullet to help address the abuse of highly addictive and dangerous illicit drugs that continue to cripple our communities,” he said.
Mr Barilaro said Drug Court participants underwent a 12-month program, including mandatory detoxification in jail and regular drug testing, and received interventions to address the underlying causes of drug dependency and offending.
He said violent and/or sex offenders were excluded from participation.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said $27.9 million had been allocated to the Drug Court in Dubbo over four years to safeguard NSW from the social impacts of an economic downturn following the combined effects of drought, bushfires and the pandemic.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said the expansion of the Court would help break the cycle of drug dependency.
“This program helps participants address the root causes of their problems, and ultimately overcome their addiction to make a positive contribution to the community,” Mr Speakman said.
“We know that sending problem drug users to prison and throwing away the key doesn’t solve drug addiction,” he said.
Mr Speakman said a health response, not just a criminal justice response, was required for the State to tackle addiction and address drug use.
