Wednesday, December 3, 2003

Submissions to the Inebriates Inquiry?

The Social Issues Committee is doing this inquiry. It came out of the alcohol summit. The Act allows detention of inebriates in proclaimed places, which no longer exist. The chief magistrate, Derek Price probably kicked it off with his submission to the Alcohol Summit. He also gave evidence, which was basically, 'Repeal the act as it does not work, and get a new act based on the Mental Health Act'.

It might be noted that Part 3 of the Act related to inebriates committing crimes and that this part of the act has not been used since drunkenness was abolished as a crime. The orders given by the Court are apparently often ignored, but also quite often inappropriate according to the health groups.

I think the government would rather keep the terms of reference narrow. In the issue of drug-related crime, whatever new act comes can suggest more therapeutic approaches.

Derek Price was keen to say how innovative the Courts had been in using alternatives to sentencing drug-affected people, but one could argue how empty the glass was as easily as how full it was in terms of the rise in the prison population, which is the actual measured outcome.

You may care to, come up with a more full model! It has been suggested to me that the Drug Court could be the Drug and Mentally Impaired Court, but we do not have any evidence suggesting this yet.

By Alcohol Summit 3 December 03

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