Court drug diversion program ‘a joke’
NEW data shows that more drug offenders fail to complete a court diversion program than graduate from it, while the new magistrate taking over the files in Launceston says that she’s concerned by participants’ continued drug use.
Sixty per cent, or 28 out of 47 offenders, failed to complete the program statewide between January 1, 2014, and March 6, 2015.
As of last Friday, there were 11 warrants active statewide for the arrest of participants who had failed to show.
The federally-funded Court Mandated Diversion program operates in the magistrates courts, usually takes two years to complete and aims to break the drug-crime cycle for non-violent, recidivist offenders through a therapeutic approach in lieu of jail.
Last week in Launceston, magistrate Sharon Cure sentenced a man to a drug treatment order on a recommendation from Community Corrections.
The man’s 32 offences included assaulting a policeman where he bit the backs of the officer’s hands, breaking his skin and causing swelling.
Ms Cure questioned if the man would stay on the program if he continued to use ice and queried if he thought it was ‘‘a way of avoiding prison’’.
‘‘It concerns me with some of the files I’m taking over how often there is continuing drug use,’’ she said.
Yesterday, Donna Kupsch, whose daughter Jessica was murdered by her on-off partner six weeks after he was sentenced to a drug treatment order in lieu of 11 months’ jail, said the program was ‘‘just a joke’’.
Mrs Kupsch said participants failed to turn up, continued to reoffend and take drugs, and saw it as a way to get out of jail.
Law Society of Tasmania president Matthew Verney said yesterday that the drug treatment program had had great successes on the North-West Coast where people had graduated from the program, become clean from drugs and had their children returned to their custody.
Mr Verney said that addressing the underlying cause of offending was the only way to fix the problem of repeat drug offenders.
Attorney-General Vanessa Goodwin said the Sentencing Advisory Council’s investigation of new sentencing options, to be introduced during the phasing out of suspended sentences, would consider if there were specific options for offenders with substance abuse issues.
The Department of Justice is developing mechanisms to better record and assess the effectiveness of the drug treatment program.
Court Mandated Diversion program statistics
Outcomes from January 1, 2014 to March 6, 2015:
- 19 offenders graduated.
- 5 offenders withdrew.
- 23 orders were cancelled.
Participating/being assessed and the missing as at March 6, 2015:
- North: 21 (+4 on active warrants).
- North-West: 13 (+4 on active warrants).
- South: 21 (+3 on active warrants).