Photo: ODT filesDrug treatment in prison is "a waste of money" and the government needs to be investing more into drug courts, an experienced drug and alcohol counsellor says. Corrections cut its AOD (Alcohol and Other Drug) Brief Support Programme and its AOD Intermediate Treatment Programme in 2018, which has seen a massive drop in the number of prisoners receiving treatment. AOD Treatment Courts aim to deal with those whose offending and substance abuse are intertwined. "Drug treatment in the community is 10 to 12 times more effective than drug treatment in prisons and yet the bulk of the money is going on drug treatment in prisons." Brooking said he was not opposed to drug treatment in prisons, but he wanted more funding to be spent on drug courts than in prisons.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 26, 2021 18:33 UTC