Lyons welcomes extension of drug treatment court to rest of Dublin Northside

I have given my backing to the expansion of the Drug Treatment Court to the remaining areas of Dublin's Northside.

The Drug Treatment Court Programme is aimed at people with drug addiction problems who come before the District Court on minor criminal charges linked to their drug addiction. It has operated in Dublin 1, 3 and 7 since 2000 and was given the go-ahead to extend its catchment area by Minister Alan Shatter last week.

Extending this service to Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 and other areas north of the Liffey is a hugely positive move. We all know the problems caused by addiction in our communities and this initiative offers people who are serious about tackling their drug problems the treatment they need.

The expansion of the programme gives judges the option of alternatives to prison in certain cases. Potential participants are assessed for a period of 6-8 weeks by a team of probation officers, liaison nurses, Gardaí and education coordinators. This is an example of joined-up thinking to address drug problems that affect many families and local communities.

A Department of Justice report on the Drug Treatment Court in May 2010 illustrated the potential benefits of the programme to the State. Savings in the prison service, to the Courts in handling repeat offenders and for Gardaí in dealing with criminal offences related to addiction are all possible. Similar expanded programmes in the UK and US have shown great cost-effectiveness and have reduced reoffending.

I also welcome that the expansion of the DTC for a 6-month trial period and that it is being to be fully evaluated at each stage. The 2010 report also calls for improved gathering of statistics as part of any services and I think this is vital to show the value of the programme to Ballymun and Finglas and to measure its cost effectiveness to the country.

In the tough economic times we are in, this expansion will use existing resources to tackle the problem of drug addiction and associated crime and this is positive step by the HSE and the Courts Service.

More information on the Drug Treatment Court and Reports by the Department of Justice are available at:http://www.courts.ie/offices.nsf/fd1b5d60ef39f31380256e43003d0107/cfaf3511b9b9639e80256e45005861cf?OpenDocument