Warrnambool has been hoping for the specialised court in the region since it was raised in 2016 as part of the state government's Ice Action Plan.

The court aims to help drug offenders avoid incarceration by providing tailored sentencing and access to rehabilitation, drug counselling and regular drug testing.

It started in Dandenong before expanding to Melbourne and earlier this year launched as a pilot program in Shepparton and Ballarat.

The Standard asked the state's Attorney General Jaclyn Symes and Minister for Crime Prevention Natalie Hutchins if there was funding and/or plans for the court to be opened in Warrnambool.

While a definitive answer wasn't received, information obtained from the state government showed it would consider a range of factors when considering future expansion of the court.

That included the number of drug-related offences in a region, local readiness, existing infrastructure, and the success of the current pilots.

"We know that drug courts work and play a vital role in reducing recidivism, supporting rehabilitation and helping offenders get their lives back on track," a government spokeswoman said.

"We have sought to expand this program so that these benefits can be felt across Victoria.

"This includes investing $35 million to deliver two new drug courts in regional Victoria, as well as establishing a pilot alcohol and drug court in the county court."

The multi-million dollar investment was part of the 2019-20 state budget.

The Standard understands there was no funding announced for future expansions in the 2022-23 budget.

But the city's courts are packed with cases involving illicit substances - whether its offenders trafficking, possessing or cultivating drugs, or committing crimes while under the influence or to fund their drug habit.

Lawyers have reported clients desperately needing a drug court but being ineligible because they don't live in the right local government area.

Back in 2019, a County Court judge said it was unfortunate the "lottery of the postcode justice" applied and Warrnambool didn't have a drug court despite having a problem with ice.

Warrnambool lawyer Xavier Farrelly said the specialist court would benefit the south-west significantly.

"Addiction and trauma is at the heart of many recidivist court appearances," he said.

"The drug court, by providing a team to work with the offender and with both carrot and stick available, is a sensible approach. Drug use and addiction is a factor in many of the criminal matters I handle."

When asked if the court should be funded by the state government, Mr Farrelly said "unequivocally yes".

He said there were insufficient drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in the region, with some clients having to travel for in-house rehabilitation at Geelong, Melbourne and Gippsland.

"I have had clients leave rehab and not return after a weekend release to return to our region for a death in the family and the like," he said.

"The drug court allows for some slip ups through the program, and can punish those if required. I believe it would benefit all facets of community."

The Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD) has been lobbying for six years for state government funding for The Lookout, a proposed rehab centre at Dennington.

WRAD operations manager Mark Powell said the justice system had not always offered opportunities for rehabilitation and connection with treatment, and incarceration rarely provided desired outcomes.

"My belief is drug courts are one part of a treatment continuum and like all the elements of a good drug and alcohol service system, drug courts should be funded," he said.

He said the court would offer "so much more" than a punitive incarceration approach.

"Our prime desire is a safe community and through the justice system, drug courts provide a mechanism to help create that safe community," Mr Powell said.

"By offering treatment we have a chance to alter the life course for an individual.

"In many cases where substance use is a means of coping with trauma, homelessness, prejudice, unemployment or mental health issues, you can reduce the reliance on substance use by treating those underlying factors."

Ballarat defence lawyers Heidi Keighran and Scott Belcher said the alternative sentencing option gave hope to recidivist offenders.

But it's certainly not an easy option or an "out", Ms Keighran said.

"It is an intense program where honesty is rewarded. My observation is that those who successfully stick with the program feel proud and a great sense of achievement, often for the first time in their lives.

"Therapeutic sentencing is a way of the future in my opinion and if people can be rehabilitated, they are less likely to continue offending which means that communities are safer."

Ms Keighran said treatment orders, which can only be issued in the drug court, "absolutely" helped to prevent recidivism.

"The weekly attendance at court, urine testing, counselling etc. means that participants are accountable for their actions and the intense requirements and supports provide a real safety net," she said.

"People are not going for weeks or months without seeing someone to whom they have to be accountable."

Ms Keighran said given the intensity of the program, participants must access different community services and attend court on a weekly basis.

"It is a measure to prevent setting participants up for failure, however this highlights one of the key reasons why drug court should be expanded so that it is available to everyone with substance abuse issues," she said.

Mr Belcher said even "the most hardcore offender with a dozen prison terms served" could benefit from the program which is unavailable in mainstream court.

"I'm a big fan of throwing government money at the front end of the criminal justice system, rather than the back end, where it's extremely costly and almost always fails, quite apart from the cost of a prison term per prisoner," he said.

Western Victoria MP Stuart Grimley said data so far taken from drug courts showed a "remarkable decrease in time spent in prison and more importantly a reduction in the rates of re-offending".

Mr Grimley, the state leader of Derryn Hinch's Justice Party, has often spoken about postcode injustice in regional Victoria.

"Why should regional areas receive inadequate services compared to Melbourne?" he said.

"I understand the population differences in the two areas, however that's not to say that the government couldn't commit to a semi-permanent drug court that could sit periodically to deal with these types of offences."

Mr Grimley said the state's recidivism rate was around 40 per cent, meaning a large amount of those who left prison returned within two years.

"This means more offences are being committed and ultimately more victims of crime. We need to be doing much more to reduce this number and address offending at the core issue which is more often than not as a result of drug addiction and abuse," he said.

IN OTHER NEWS