St. Tammany voters to decide on taxes for jail, justice center and recreation, fire and lighting districts

St. Tammany Parish voters will decide Saturday whether to give another chance to a pair of sales tax renewals for the parish jail and courthouse, the highest-profile items among seven issues on the ballot. The renewals ran into an anti-tax buzzsaw last year, when 60 percent of voters rejected a quarter-cent sales tax for the
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Esgenoôpetitj needs on-reserve drug treatment program, says Ontario doctor

Dr. Claudette Chase, who has spent her career working with isolated First Nations in northwestern Ontario, says the key to fighting opiate addiction is to provide treatment within a community instead of sending people away for help. Chase, a family doctor, has been following the crisis in New Brunswick’s Esgenoôpetitj First Nation. Since April 10, five people have
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Senate wants to focus on Judiciary’s needs

Sen. Jude Hofschenider (R-Tinian) said he would be focusing more on the needs of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Judicial Branch when his committee begins meeting with various government, agencies, departments, and divisions for the fiscal year 2018 budget hearing. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Superior Court, Supreme Court, Drug Court, Law
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Calgary Drug Treatment Court is being overwhelmed by the opioid crisis

An opioid crisis is driving a rising demand for the Calgary Drug Treatment Court, the program’s CEO says. Arla Liska said for about the past two years, the program has not been able to meet demand. “There, for some time now, has been significantly more demand than we can meet,” said Liska. “And we know
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New Dundalk judge wants to set up first ever ‘drugs court’ in this region

A newly appointed judge for County Louth has said he would like to set up the first ‘drugs court’ in the North East. Judge John Coughlan is now the permanent sitting judge at Dundalk and Drogheda district court. Wednesday was the first time Judge Coughlan sat in his official capacity as the new sitting judge
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Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Drug Court now accepting referrals, participants

In December 2016, the Superior Court’s Drug Court Division began accepting referrals and participants into its program.  The drug court was founded on the premise that many addicts are arrested for behavior related to their addictions and engages participants in a model and structure that is supportive of success in recovery.  The Commonwealth of the
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Justice: Our People, Our Communities

New Zealand Ministry of Justice releases publication on latest initiatives for justice which includes discussion of the two Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts, Te Whare Whakapiki Wairua (The House that Heals the Spirit), and their success. Read more HERE New Zealand Ministry of Justice, November 2015
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Sheriff Lindsay Wood on the Glasgow Drug Court

What is it? The Glasgow Drug Court was set up, before I became involved, as a pilot along with a similar court in Fife in 2001. It was seen as a success and given ongoing support. Its aim has always been to reduce drug misuse and the offending caused by that misuse. This is done
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Drug Treatment Court: Life-saving option for drugs offenders

Dublin’s Drug Treatment Court is one of the few courts in the world which advertises its services to offenders. “We go to treatment centres around the city and meet the staff and try and sell the message about the court,” said its supervisor Tom Ward. “We want them to tell people who might be up
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Official Opening of the Mental Health Treatment Court

The Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Department of Court Services will host the official opening of the Bermuda Mental Health Treatment Court Programme (MHTCP) on Thursday, 20 October. After years of preparation and development, the Ministry, in partnership with other agencies, launched the pilot programme in October, 2013 The programme models the Drug Treatment
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Former addict, on benefits of drug court: ‘It truly works’

SAIPAN – A Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Judiciary Drug Court Stakeholder presentation co-hosted by the Office of the Governor and the CNMI Judiciary Judiciary was held at the Fiesta Resort’s Hibiscus Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Representatives from the Guam Judiciary, both the NMI U.S. District Court and CNMI Judiciary, CNMI Drug Court, law enforcement
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DUIs may go to Drug Court

Motorists convicted of drink-driving could be referred to Drug Treatment Court by judges for the first time after a ground-breaking decision by the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Ian Kawaley ruled that section 68 of Criminal Code, which provides for the DTC programme, embraced alcohol addiction and allowed magistrates to sentence those convicted of traffic offences
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How big a problem is ice use among Indigenous Australians?

While rates of methamphetamine use in Australia have remained fairly stable at 2.1% over the past ten years, there has been a shift among people who use the lower-grade powdered form of methamphetamine (speed) to using the higher-grade crystal form (ice) in recent times. Ice is much stronger than speed and has the potential to cause greater
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California Court Helps Kids By Healing Parents’ Addictions

At 10 a.m. on a recent Wednesday morning, a line of parents pushing strollers filed into a conference room at the Sacramento County Courthouse in California. They sat at rows of narrow plastic tables, shushing their babies and looking up at a man in a black robe. Hearing Officer Jim Teal sounded his gavel. “This
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Zoning Board approves Marianas Behavioral Health’s conditional use permit

Despite objections from several individuals, including the applicant’s siblings, the Saipan Zoning Board on Thursday approved the recommendation of Zoning Administrator Therese Ogumoro to grant the conditional-use application of Marianas Behavioral Health International Inc. But the board’s approval included several conditions with which the applicant must comply. The applicant is licensed substance abuse counselor Cris
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