New booze and drug court launched

The first Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court in Auckland aims to help 100 offenders each year deal with underlying addiction issues.

Justice Minister Judith Collins formally launched the five-year pilot court at Auckland District Court on Thursday morning, saying it was not an alternative to prison.

Defendants will still be sentenced for their crimes once they have completed treatment but the new court will take their treatment success into account.

"Dealing with an offender's addiction prior to sentencing is a new approach for New Zealand," Ms Collins says.

"We want to reduce reoffending by giving offenders the opportunity to confront their drug and alcohol dependency, while still holding them to account for their actions."

Ms Collins said similar courts in the US generally added value to the courts, with offenders less likely to reoffend or use substances on release.

The court will sit one day a week at both Auckland and Waitakere District Courts, starting next week.

Selected defendants who have pleaded guilty and are facing imprisonment for up to three years can participate in an addiction treatment programme.

"This is no easy way out for offenders - it requires a serious commitment to change," Ms Collins said.

Those accepted into a programme will undergo intensive treatment for 12 to 18 months and they will be drug tested twice a week.

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New booze and drug court launched