A Star Gone: The Passing of Judge Peggy Hora

The world of therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) has lost a giant. Judge Peggy Hora, a retired California Supreme Court Judge, died on October 31st after a short illness.
Read more
No Comments

B.C.’s Indigenous court system continues to grow with new location in Williams Lake

British Columbia continues to expand its Indigenous court system, with a seventh location set to open in Williams Lake in April 2020. The courts, which are already operating in New Westminster, Duncan, Kamloops, North Vancouver, Merritt and Prince George, offer alternative sentencing options for Indigenous offenders who have already admitted guilt in a regular court setting.
Read more
No Comments

Government makes drug court permanent in justice shake-up

Specialist drug and alcohol courts in Auckland will be made permanent and a new one will be opened in Hamilton, Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced as part of a pre-election-year promise for major reform of the justice system. Releasing two independent reports that deeply criticise the sector, Little on Thursday said the Government would
Read more
No Comments

Wellbeing survey of Australia’s judiciary reveals risk of distress and burnout

An Australian-first survey of the wellbeing of judges and magistrates has revealed a judiciary at risk of burnout or trauma from having to constantly deal with high workloads and the harrowing details of serious crimes.
Read more
No Comments

Mental health courts: Providing access to justice for people with mental illness and cognitive impairments

The number of people with mental illness in Australian prisons is growing. Almost half of prison entrants (49 per cent) in 2015 reported being told at some point by a health professional that they have a mental disorder, an 11 per cent increase since 2012. People with cognitive impairments are also over-represented in Australian prisons.
Read more
No Comments

Joe Williams first Māori judge appointed to Supreme Court

Justice Joseph Victor Williams is the first Māori lawyer to be appointed a Supreme Court judge. He replaces Sir William Young, who has been named to chair the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attacks.
Read more
No Comments

Inside the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court: Helping addicts help themselves

The Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court supports users who want to break their habit. It’s a successful system, so why might it be shut down, asks Paul Little. Mr J was found asleep at the wheel after crashing into a tree with a half-drunk bottle of whisky in his lap. He is appearing before
Read more
No Comments

Problem solving courts: Some lessons from New Zealand

On 24 and 25 January I attended the Future Directions of the Adult Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts Conference at the University of Auckland. After six successful years running as a pilot in two locations, the AODTC is at a crucial crossroad – in the coming months the New Zealand government will decide whether to make
Read more
No Comments

‘Today I make better choices’: How NZ’s Drug Court changed a man’s life

'Today I make better choices': How NZ's Drug Court changed a man's life. But that all changed when he was given an opportunity three years ago to have his sentence transferred to the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court.
Read more
No Comments

Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts transforming lives

Society tends to offer little sympathy to drug addicts and alcoholics who commit crime to feed their addiction. After all, many end up on an endless cycle of prison lags only to use drugs inside where they learn new ways of committing crime through hardened career criminals. But what if addiction was treated as a
Read more
No Comments

Training to strengthen Dominican Republic drug court programme begins

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Training to strengthen the Dominican Republic drug treatment court programme began on 22 October in Santo Domingo, as part of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) strategy to tackle the drug problem from the demand side. The two-day capacity building initiative is part of the response under the Drug Demand Reduction (DDR)
Read more
No Comments

Addiction courts save millions in prison costs

Two alcohol and drug courts have saved $28.7 million in prison costs over a six year pilot. Reporter Teuila Fuatai spent a day in one of the courts, and got an inside view of what could be one answer to NZ’s unsustainable prison system. With more than 10,000 people behind bars and total prison costs
Read more
No Comments

‘Not soft on crime’: push for specialist indigenous court

The state’s barristers and police are pushing the NSW government to urgently fund a specific indigenous court in a bid to lower the “spiralling number” of Aboriginal people in jail. In a significant move, the NSW Bar Association and and the Police Association are jointly calling for a trial of a sentencing court- the Walama Court-
Read more
No Comments

Warakurna welcomes first all-Indigenous police station, aiming to repair a community’s mistrust

Not far from the Northern Territory border, Warakurna in Western Australia is policed by two sworn Aboriginal officers who also cover two other nearby communities. Since they began working there in late 2017, the officers have been making inroads in gaining the respect of residents. Aboriginal elder, Daisy Ward, said the community had not been
Read more
No Comments

Successful Drug Court graduation marked with traditional Aboriginal dance

Spellbound. The only word which could describe the effect on everyone in the Parramatta Drug Court courtroom this month when a surprise traditional Aboriginal dance broke the hushed tones of the usual proceedings. The successful completion of a proud Aboriginal man’s Drug Court Program was marked with a traditional Aboriginal dance by the community of
Read more
No Comments