BACKGROUND The Norwegian Drug Court
started 1. January 2006.
• Two projects in Oslo and Bergen• Established two DC-centres• Duration: End of 2010
The purpose of the project• Alternative to prison• Reduce criminality• Reduce use of illegal drugs• Improve: - health of the participants - social conditions - housing etc.
The Target Groups
• The first client into the program March 2006
• People with drug related crime• Motivated for the DC-program - concent to forensic research - meet for consultations at the centre
Oslo
• In 2009 44 persons were forensic researched
• Only 11 were found suitable for the program
Too few suitable for the program?
Who takes initiative to the forensic research?
• In Oslo 3/4 of all initiatives were taken by the client’s defender
• Just 1/5 of the initiatives were taken by the police
• 1/10 by the courts
Oslo (per 31.12.09)
• The DC-centre has received 39 persons in the program
- 7 persons finished the program - 13 persons are still in the program• 19 persons dropped out of the
program - new criminality - did not follow the program
- 9 of these dropped the program in 2009
- 5 persons fullfilled the program in 2009
Positive development
EVALUATION: Preliminary Evaluation March 2010
By the end of 2009 totally 85 clients were in the program.
Of these 26 clients have been interviewed 3 times.
The Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research (SIRUS) has conducted a preliminary
evaluation of the projects in Bergen and Oslo.
• Now 85 clients totally in the program• By the end of 2007 47 clients• Of these 26 clients are interviewed at 3
different times during the program: T1 - By the time they enter the program after the sentence in the court T2 - After one year in the program T3 - After two years in the program
Methode/instrument used: ASI (Addiction Severity Index) which covers:
- use of illegal drugs - criminality - health - work - family - social condition
Of the 47 clients in 2006 and 2007, 64% dropped out of the program.
• 19% (5) of the 26 clients fullfilled the program
• 15% (4) are still in the program• 65% (17) have dropped out
Is this a good result?
Drop outs
• Average time in the program: 223 days
• Shortest: 15 days• Longest: 874 days
The probation will make the clients stay longer in the project.
Specific drug use (%) N=26
T1 T3• Heroin 27 12• Amphetamine 42 39• Cocaine 8 0• Cannabis 50 39
There is a certain decline in illegal use of drugs.
Charge with crime (%)
T1 T2 T3Sale or posession 100 23 27Stealing, robbery 100 38 31Violence 50 12 15Other crime 8 4 0
The program seems to have a positive effect on reducing crime.
The gravity of criminality
• There is a promising trend towards reducing the gravity of the criminality, specially among the clients who are not in the control institutions.
• Internationally: Drug Courts seem to reduce the risk of recidive generally.
• This seems also to be the best effect of the DC-program for Norway.
CONCLUSIONS
• Scientifically there is no sufficient data to conclude that DC-program will reduce the illegal use of drugs among the clients substansially. However there is a promising tendency.
• The DC-program is more promising concerning the aim to reduce the criminality among the clients.
QUESTIONS
Do the results make it worth continuing the program?
• Resources• Any benefits for the clients• Protecton for the society