The establishment of a Drug and Alcohol Court (DAC) in the ACT has taken a step forward with laws allowing Courts to issue Drug and Alcohol Treatment Orders introduced into the Legislative Assembly.
Announcing the move, Attorney-General, Gordon Ramsay said the new sentencing option had been established to reduce recidivism in the justice system where an offender’s substance addiction was a large part of the reason for their offending.
“The DAC will impose heavy compliance measures on offenders to ensure they succeed in addressing the substance abuse issues which have perpetuated their criminal activity,” Mr Ramsay said.
“The DAC’s sentencing option will provide both targeted and structured health and justice interventions for offenders whose criminal activities have been driven by substance abuse issues.”
He said Drug and Alcohol Courts had been operating in other Australian and international jurisdictions for a long time and had proven to be effective at achieving long-term behavioural change in offenders.
“The establishment of the DAC’s sentencing option will have significant long-term benefits for the ACT community, providing an alternative avenue for offenders and reducing crime,” Mr Ramsay said.
“The DAC’s sentencing option is a key part of the Government’s strategy to reduce recidivism by 25 per cent by 2025 and aligns with our Building Communities Not Prisons initiative.”
He said there would be an extensive monitoring and evaluation process over the first two years of the DAC’s sentencing implementation in order to fine-tune its operation.
