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Scotland's very own ISP |
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The Fife pilot will cover the sheriff court districts of Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. Consideration will also be given to extending it to Cupar. The first cases are expected to be heard in September. |
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The drugs court aim is to help drug dependent offenders break the cycle of crime committed to feed their habit. This contributes towards significantly reducing the cost of drug-related crime to Scotland’s communities. |
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Fife has been chosen as a pilot area following the successful take-up of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs). It will also look at how the pilot works in a mixed rural and urban area. |
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Deputy Justice Minister Dr Richard Simpson said: "This second drugs court demonstrates our long term commitment to tackling drugs in our communities. We face significant challenges in improving quality of life by tackling drug related crime and reducing the misery it can cause to local people and businesses. |
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"We have invested significant resources in treatment and rehabilitation in Fife and it is because of the successful introduction of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders that we are able to pilot Scotland’s second drug court here. This should also provide us with valuable information as to how the pilots operate in different rural and urban settings. |
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"By providing a robust treatment package, we can offer drug misusing offenders a chance to address their offending behaviour by breaking the cycle of drug dependency and crime. This is not a soft option. Those who break the conditions of their order will still be dealt with by the court. |
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"It is of course too early to say whether drugs courts are a long term success but the initial indications are good. I am particularly pleased at the positive spin off that the Glasgow |
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drugs court is already having with the increase in DTTOs being imposed throughout the rest of the city." |
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Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO) will be a key feature of the Fife drug court. A report to be published shortly will show that after six months on a DTTO, an offender has reduced his or her habit by almost 90 per cent with a marked reduction in the drug use and drug related offending. The average cost of a 12 month DTTO was £7992 compared to the estimated cost of a six month prison sentence in 1999/00 at £14,187. |
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26 CRIMES A MONTH |
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It is estimated that one addict commits an average of 26 crimes a month to support a £1500 a month drug habit. Crimes including shoplifting, housebreaking, car theft, fraud and prostitution are significantly reduced through DTTOs. |
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Recent Scottish Executive research for the first time provided a more accurate picture of the number of problematic drug users in Fife. This showed that in the year 2000, there |
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were an estimated 2,867 problematic drug misusers in Fife which corresponds to a rate of 1.5 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 54. |
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Fife Drugs Court will deal with an annual caseload of 150-180 new offenders on order, an increase on current levels of 50 to 70 cases per year. It will operate with a specialist bench led by one sheriff, for two days a week from Kirkcaldy sheriff court and one day from Dunfermline. |
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DTTO’s were evaluated and showed a reduction from an average cost of acquisitive crime by each addict of £31,000 to £8,000. DTTO’s are currently available in Glasgow, Fife and Aberdeen. |
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The Executive has invested the following extra funding over three years (2001-2004) over and above existing expenditure to tackle drugs in Fife. This includes £0.75 million to Fife health Board for treatment, more than £0.5 million for rehabilitation as well as £1 million for families and young people. |
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SCOTLAND'S SECOND DRUGS COURT READY IN FIFE |
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The Fife drugs court is the second such pilot in Scotland following the launch of the Glasgow drugs court last November. |
