Design and implementation of Australia's first Drug Court

In 1999 the New South Wales government implemented an evaluated trial of the first drug court in Australia. This paper outlines the initial design and legislative framework of the Court, and the Court's operation over the first six months. For the benefit of policymakers and researchers, challenges that arose in the initial implementation and evaluation process are outlined. Although the Court is based on a North American model, some aspects of the court proved a challenge in the Australian context (such as the development of rewards and sanctions). Difficulties in implementation are outlined, including differences in orientation of a health and welfare perspective compared to a criminal justice perspective and the importance of adequate IT resources for evaluation purposes and for a 'paperless' court. In outlining these challenges this article concentrates on the initial implementation phase of a new policy initiative. Long-term evaluation of the project will determine the true success of the Court.