To break the cycles of drug and alcohol-related crime, the ACT government has announced it will spend $8.4 million in next week’s Budget to expand the Drug and Alcohol Court’s capacity – a week before service agreements were due to expire, the ACT drugs peak body says.

The Drug and Alcohol Court was set up in 2019 to rehabilitate drug or alcohol dependent offenders, and redirect them to treatment programs. The new funding will increase the Court’s capacity by 20 per cent (from 35 to 42 people). A further $27 million will be provisioned for the next three years.

“The program was at capacity, and this expansion will allow more offenders to be diverted from prison, to get treatment, and to break the cycle of offending,” Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said.

“By treating drug and alcohol dependence as a health issue as much as a justice issue, this program has put lives back on track.”

The Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA) welcomed the announcement that the Court had been funded for three more years, and said that increased funding would divert more people from the criminal justice system into suitable health care services.

But ATODA also advised the ACT government to provide more certainty next time.

ATODA’s interim CEO, Susan Helyar, said that the government made the announcement one week before service agreements with treatment services who accept referrals from the Court were to end.

“Without timely notification of contract extensions, services are unreasonably required to operate services without a guarantee that funding will be available to pay for that service,” Ms Helyar said.

“Community organisations accept this risk in order to prioritise client outcomes and retain qualified staff.

“ATODA urges the ACT government to ensure essential community-based services have certainty of funding several months before the planned end date of contracts and orderly transition arrangements if funding is ceasing.”

An independent review last year by the Australian National University found that the Court reduced reoffending, helped offenders get their lives on track, and saved the community $14 million in avoided prison time – more than its running costs, Mr Rattenbury remarked.

“Merely locking people up for crimes which flow from the misuse of alcohol and drugs does not work to break the cycle,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

“By addressing underlying causes of addiction such as trauma, this Court changes people’s lives and reduces crime.”

But, Ms Helyar pointed out, the ANU evaluation also recommended better coordination and collaboration between the Court and the ATOD sector.

“ATODA’s submission to the Statutory Review of the Drug and Alcohol Sentencing List Legislation will make several recommendations regarding improvements that should be implemented in the ongoing delivery of the Drug and Alcohol Court Sentencing List,” Ms Helyar said.

“We look forward to working with the ACT government to implement these improvements.

“An effective Drug and Alcohol Court depends on a viable, sustainable and accessible specialist ATOD sector in the ACT.

“There is a significant gap in investment in ATOD services both nationally and locally, and ATODA looks forward to further announcements from the ACT government that services in the ACT will be funded to respond effectively to all people who seek support,” she said.

The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) welcomed the ACT Government’s increased investment in the Drug and Alcohol Sentencing List.

“The evidence is clear that the Drug and Alcohol Sentencing List works well to help people improve their own lives and is a good investment for Government given the high financial and human costs of incarceration,” Dr Devin Bowles, ACTCOSS’s CEO, said. “Demand for the program is high, and this expansion will help more people access this valuable pathway.”

The ACT government will also provide $634,000 to fund a specialist forensic counselling service in the Coroners Court for grieving families and friends, and to recruit a second Family Liaison Officer for the court.

“The government is committed to improving the ACT’s coronial system,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“Last year, we established a dedicated Coroner for the ACT, and are now focused on improving the experience for families and loved ones who engage with the Coronial process.

“The new forensic counselling service will provide free support and counselling to loved ones in the immediate aftermath of a death which is being investigated by the Coroner.

“Additionally, the funding of a second Family Liaison Officer will provide support to families involved in coronial matters.”