Welcome to the Drug Court of N.S.W. This court protects the public by ensuring drug dependent offenders engage in long term treatment. By breaking the ongoing cycle of drug dependency and crime, the Drug Court oversees the re-integration of repeat offenders into lawful community life.

Drug Courts are specialist courts that deal with offenders who are dependent on drugs. They emerged as a result of growing disenchantment with the ability of traditional criminal justice approaches to provide long-term solutions to the cycle of drug use and crime. Drug Courts aim to assist drug-dependent offenders to overcome both their drug dependence and their criminal offending.

The first of the Drug Courts began operation in the United States in 1989. Drug Courts have also been trialed in the United Kingdom, Canada and several Australian jurisdictions. The experience in courts of therapeutic jurisprudence including Drug Courts in the United States has strongly influenced the roles and functions of the N.S.W. Drug Court. (A bibliography can be found at www.therapeuticjurisprudence.org)