Glasgow to trial drugs court

The system is in place in Canada and the US

Glasgow has been chosen as the location for Scotland's first US and Canadian-style drugs court.

Deputy Justice Minister Iain Gray has announced that the new programme to keep addicts out of the criminal justice system should be operational in Glasgow Sheriff Court by the autumn.

The courts, which are already established in the United States and Canada, work by dealing with drug-using petty offenders separately.

The Scottish Executive is keen to develop a similar system on this side of the Atlantic in an effort to curb the drugs problem.

Iain Gray: Planning an autumn launch

It is estimated that more than 30,000 people in Scotland use drugs, and many can find themselves caught in a cycle of crime to feed their habit.

Many of the same faces are seen going through the courts only to return time and again.

Drugs workers are already trying to offer offenders treatment rather than punishment in a bid to break that cycle.

Mr Gray said Glasgow had been chosen over other Scottish cities for the first drug court because it has one of the biggest court systems in Europe.

He said: "If it is going to work at all in Scotland it really has to work in Glasgow.

However, he stressed: "We see this very much as the first pilot and the idea, once we have this up and running, would be to look else where in Scotland to see where else we could roll this out."

'Change direction'

The minister said the idea behind the courts was "to try to break the cycle of drug addiction and criminality which brings people back to the courts time and again."

"The benefit for them is the chance to change the direction of their lives.

"The benefit for us and our communities is that the crimes that they would have committed have been taken out of the system."

Mr Gray said it was unclear how many people would pass through the courts but conceded it would be "a relatively small number."

A working group has been set up

He said: "It's really about the quality of intervention and the success rates rather than the numbers."

In the United States, offenders who pass through drugs courts have to prove that they are off illegal substances and on the straight and narrow.

However, if they reoffend they could face a prison sentence.

The introduction of the courts, which have also started operating in Ireland, has been broadly welcomed in Scotland.

A working group, headed by Sheriff Principal Edward Bowen, will meet for the first time on Thursday and has until Easter to produce a model for the Glasgow pilot.

Earlier in the week, the agency Scotland Against Drugs was given £4.5m to encourage Scottish businesses to offer jobs for former drug addicts.