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Victoria expands specialist drug courts
Victoria has made the first move to expand the Drug Court, which has been running in several Melbourne magistrates courts.
Naomi Neilson
Victoria has made the first move to expand the Drug Court, which has been running in several Melbourne magistrates courts.
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The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has welcomed legislation introduced in Victoria on Wednesday. The changes will affect Dandenong and Melbourne magistrate courts, to Shepparton, Ballarat and the County Court.
ALA national criminal justice spokesperson Greg Barns said of the new legislation that “therapeutic justice works” and added: “It reduces recidivism and is better for safety.”
“Jailing people with addiction does not resolve the core issues. Addiction programs in prisons are ‘one size fits all’ and often have long waiting lists.”
The ALA said it welcomes the expansion of the specialist drug court in Victoria but will continue to argue that the decriminalisation of the possession and the use of drugs, as recommended by Queensland Productivity Commission and the NSW ice inquiry “is a better solution”.
“The criminal justice system carries the major burden of drug policy in Australia, and there is clear evidence this punitive approach to managing the issue is not working,” he said.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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