Magistrates in Wakefield tried three cases on Monday as part of a £320,000 pilot programme funded by Wakefield health authority, local drugs agencies and drugs csar Keith Hellawell when he was chief constable of West Yorkshire.

The courts are based on an American idea and offer a three-stage programme of detoxification, intensive work to prevent relapses and advice on finding permanent jobs.

Community

The programme offers drug users the option of jail or community treatment. It is aimed at treating drug users rather than punishing them and is in line with the government's drugs programme, published in its White Paper, Tackling drugs to build a better Britain.

Police will refer offenders with drug problems to Step, a substance misuse and enforcement programme which brings together local social care, health and probation agencies.

The Step worker will assess the person in the cells before they appear in drugs court.

Therapy

The court will recommend treatment using drug subsitutes, such as methadone, and therapy which will aim to change their attitudes and behaviour.

Drug courts favour treatment over punishment

Offenders will have to appear in court regularly so that magistrates can monitor their progress.

If they respond to treatment, their probation order could be terminated or allowed to drop.

The three offenders who appeared before Wakefield magistrates on Monday all pleaded guilty and were put on the Step programme for a year. Project worker Caterina Fagg said they would have regular drug tests.

The project aims to deal with 100 people by the end of the year.

The average drug user needs between £10,000 and £20,000 a year to fund his or her addiction and many turn to crime as a result.

The American government says drug courts, which began there in the early 1990s, are cost-effective and have a high success rate.