Transcript PowerPoint-presentasjon

DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAM
SUPERVISED BY THE COURT
BERGEN
• Inhabitants: app.. 250.000
• Number of injecting abusers: 1000
– 2500
OSLO
• Inhabitants: appr. 550.000
• Number of injecting drug-abusers:
6000-7500
Prison population
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Approximately 3400 prison cells
71 out of 100 000 inhabitants in prison
Average prison-sentence: 100 days
60 % of the inmates have a drug-problem
1/3 of them are serving sentences for drugrelated crimes
• In 2008 : 2800 community service
sentences
BACKGROUND
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Working group with participants from different ministries.
Mandate: to make a report on whether the Drug Court
system should be implemented in Norway, and if so:
how? Look to Dublin and Glasgow.
The report was presented in September 2004, and the
conclusion was that the results from other drug-court
countries were so good that this was something Norway
should try. The report suggested that the court should
lead the drug treatment program.
Comments: skepticism (especially the Supreme Court) to
a system where the courts would be so involved in the
serving of a sentence. The courts independence to the
public administration.
The result: Norway should implement a drug treatment
program supervised/controlled by the court (not led by).
THE NORWEGIAN WAY
• Suspended sentence (various lengths) with the
condition to attend a drug treatment and
rehabilitation program supervised by the court
• Usually 2 years probation period
• Legal authority: New statutory provision in the
Criminal Code, section 53 and 54.
• The new section also decided that the Ministry of
Justice should give administrative regulation to the
drug-treatment program.
• DTC day centre: unit under the Correctional service
(like the prisons an probation offices)
BASIS
• Different ministries involved (Justice,
health, welfare, education, labour and
social inclusion)
• Different agencies – interdisciplinary team located in the same day-centre
• Local steering group – leaders from:
- correctional service
- health service
- local council
- county administration (education)
- police
- district court
THE DTC-TEAM
• A leader/coordinator, employed by the
regional level of the correctional service.
• A social worker employed by the local
council.
• A psychologist/nurse employed by the local
health service.
• A probation officer also employed by the
correctional service.
• An educational adviser employed by the
county administration.
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Communication - information
Other agencies
GOALS
• Rehabilitation
• Preventing new crimes
• Coordinating different
kind of help
PROCEDURE: arrest - sentence
• Arrest
• Very often custody while the police are investigating
the crimes
• Social inquiry report/assessment. The team has to
conclude whether the offender is suitable for the
program or not. The public prosecution/the court
has to formally ask for the report.
• The team usually needs 5-8 weeks to finish the
report. We talk to the offender and we get
information from other agencies. Then the team
work closely together to conclude on suitability.
• When we have finished the report we send it back
to the public prosecutor.
• Then we have to wait until the main hearing is over
and the judge passing the sentence, then we
formally start the serving of the sentence.
THE JUDGES - supervising
• There are 6 judges in both Oslo and Bergen District
court who are Drug Court judges.
• Each participant get their “own” judge. The judge is
not the same judge that pronounced the sentence.
• The drug court judge and the participant meet for
the first time, soon after the conviction. (Informal
meeting in the Judges office).
• The judge is not part of the team and there are no
pre-court meetings.
• When the DTC-team find that the participant
qualifies to be transferred to the next phase – the
DTC-leader sends a petition to the court.
• Between the phases the judge has follow-up
meetings with the participant.
• When there is breach of conditions the DTC-leader
also sends a petition to the court.
4 PHASES
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1. implementation-phase
2. stabilization-phase
3. responsibility-phase
4. the last phase will focus on getting on
with normal lives
• The phases will last as long as they have
to, different from person to person. The
whole program is adjusted very
individually.
BREACHES
BREACHES - SANCTIONS
• Drug abuse, not keeping appointments, no
progression
• DTC-team
- warnings
• Court
- new conditions
- put back to an earlier phase
- prison (all of the prison sentence or
a part of it)
• NB! Very individually
• DTC-leader/coordinator conducts in court
• New crimes – police/public prosecution
MAKING A DIFFERENCE ??!!
Alternative to prison
Status pr. 23.06.09
• Number of sentences: 91
• 6 has succeeded
• Ca 45 % still going strong!!
• Look behind the numbers!!!!!!…..
• Breaches: receiving a prison sentence
WHAT IS SUCCESS?
COSTS - EFFECTIVENESS
EVALUATION
DRUG
THE FUTURE
• Report to the Storting/Parliament sept.
2008
• Political will – all the political parties
• The Supreme Court
• Media
• Funding??
• Bergen and Oslo safe as pilots.