Having specialist courts that can impose treatment orders rather than prison sentences for those whose offending is related to substance addiction may be a cheaper option than a custodial sentence, but they will not address the issue of why so many desperate addicts are forced into criminal activity (Specialist courts proposed to break addictions of prolific offenders in England and Wales, 11 December).
In the UK, half of all recorded acquisitive crimes are drug-related – and half of all homicides. As long as the acts of procuring and using drugs remain illegal, desperate people will find themselves drawn into a spiral of criminal behaviour. Rather than adding an extra layer to the judiciary, a more cost-effective and humane option would be the decriminalisation of drug use – which has been proven to be effective in reducing harm and criminal activity.
