| Abstrakt: |
'Tackling substance misuse from a problem-solving justice approach' by Dr Geraldine O'Hare and Peter Luney was published in Irish Probation Journal, October 2020. This intriguing article considers an evaluation of the Substance Misuse Court pilot that was established at Belfast Magistrates Court in April 2018, a partnership between the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service (NICTS), the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) and Addiction Northern Ireland (ADNI). It documents the positive outcomes, the lessons learnt and the challenges for the sustainability of the Court beyond the initial pilot. This practitioner response to that article will undertake a brief comparison between this new initiative and the 'Drug Treatment Courts' in Dublin and Louth, consider some constants and variables and identify possible learning and opportunities for future developments across both jurisdictions. Reflections throughout the paper reflect the author's perspective based on her experience of working with individuals who have addiction difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
