THE EMERGENCE OF DRUG TREATMENT COURTS IN AUSTRALIA*

Abstract

The paper begins by placing the emergence of drug treatment courts within the context of rising property crime rates, the development of open-air illicit drug markets, and the rise in opiate overdoses in Australia. The paper then highlights the way in which the U.S. concept of drug treatment courts was adopted and adapted by state politicians in attempts to deal with drug-use-related offenders. This response has been specifically targeted at repeat property offenders “at risk” of imprisonment, and comes within the broad brush of harm minimization strategies for diverting offenders with a drug-use-related problem away from the traditional criminal justice response of imprisonment. The prospects for the future of drug treatment courts in a Federalist system are also discussed.

• Compliance
• Criminal diversion
• Harm minimization
• Managerial judging
• Moral entrepreneurs

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Toni Makkai

Toni Makkai, Ph.D., is currently director of research at the Australian Institute of Criminology. Her major research interests include drugs and crime, the epidemiology of drug use, alcohol and disorder, professions and regulation, and compliance. She has published a number of papers on drugs and crime is currently managing the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia project which interviews police detainees about their recent drug use and criminal activity. Prior to taking up her appointment at the AIC she held teaching and research positions in England and the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National Univeristy.