Drugs and Alcohol
The Glasgow Drug Court in Action: The First Six Months
Drug Courts aim to reduce drug misuse and associated offending by offering treatment based options, they have been established in a number of jurisdictions with different populations of offenders. In October 2001, Scotland's first Drug Court was established in Glasgow Sheriff Court. Its introduction followed the report of a Working Group on Piloting a Drug Court in Glasgow, which concluded that the establishment and operation of a Drug Court was feasible within the current legislation.
Title: The Glasgow Drug Court in Action: The First Six Months
Author: Department of Applied Social Sciences, University of Stirling
Series: Scottish Executive Social Research Paper
Number of pages: 108
Date published: October 2002
Background
The objectives of the new Drug Court are to:
reduce the level of drug-related offending behaviour.
reduce or eliminate offenders' dependence on drugs
examine the viability and usefulness of a Drug Court in Scotland using existing legislation and to demonstrate where legislative and practical improvements might be important.
The proposed target group for the Drug Court is offenders aged 21 years and older with a pattern of drug abuse and offending and whose drug misuse is susceptible to treatment. Offenders referred to the Drug Court must otherwise have been facing prosecution in the Sheriff Summary Court.
This report presents the findings from a formative and process evaluation of the Drug Court's operation in the first six months. The aim was to document the operation of the Drug Court during this period with a view to identifying any changes that may be required to enhance its effectiveness. The second phase of the research will take the form of an outcome evaluation, which will continue to assess the operational effectiveness of the court over the period of the pilot.
Methods
A variety of research methods aimed at the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data were used including interviews with professionals associated with the Drug Court, interviews with Drug Court clients and collection of information from Drug Court records.
Findings
Cases considered potentially suitable for the Drug Court were referred to a screening group who filtered out inappropriate referrals. The referral criteria was thought to be realistic and appropriate, especially since offenders under 21 years of age were unlikely to be sufficiently motivated or mature enough to cope with the Drug Court regime. Some concern was expressed that women were not being referred in sufficient numbers because their offences were often dealt with by the district court.
By early May 2002, 77 cases had been referred to a screening group, 61 of whom were considered potentially suitable for the Drug Court.
Effectiveness of the Drug Court
There was general optimism among those involved in the operation of the Drug Court that it would be successful in reducing drug use and associated offending behaviour. All those on Drug Court Orders who were interviewed reported significant reductions in drug use and offending and were positive about their experience of Drug Court treatment and supervision. Boredom, however, was a common problem and Drug Court clients said they would welcome a more organised structure in their lives.
Conclusions
The research concludes that the formative and process evaluation of the first six months of the pilot Drug Court has largely been a success. Certain issues were identified which will need particular attention in the next phase of the pilot. Overall, however, the Glasgow Drug Court was perceived to be effective in providing a resource for drug-using offenders and the dedicated team and resources were viewed as a positive contribution to the reduction of drug-related offences in Glasgow.
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Last update: 27 May 2005