Does correctional supervision of amphetamine users reduce the risk of re-offending?

The savings associated with decriminalization of drug use in New South Wales, Australia: A comparison of four drug policies

INTRODUCTION

Most Australian states and territories have established some form of scheme to divert minor drug offenders from court. However, the number charged with drug possession continues to rise. We examine the costs of four alternatives to existing policy in relation to people apprehended by police using or in possession of a prohibited drug.

METHODS

We construct a Markov micro-simulation model to examine four policies: (1) current policy; (2) expanding the existing cannabis cautioning scheme to all drug use/possession offences; (3) issuing an infringement notice to all those found using or in possession of a prohibited drug; (4) prosecuting all drug use/possession offences in the courts. The cycle length is one month. Since our aim is to examine the cost to the government, all costs are taken from the Government perspective and are in 2020 Australian dollars.

RESULTS

The current estimated annual cost per offence is $977 (SD: $293). Policy 2 costs $507 per offence per year (SD: $106). Policy 3 turns into a net revenue gain of $225 (SD: $68) per offence per annum. Policy 4 lifts the current cost of processing from $977 to $1282 per offence per year (SD: $321).

CONCLUSIONS

Extending the cannabis cautioning scheme to all drugs would reduce the cost of current policy by more than 50 %. A policy of issuing infringement notices or cautions for drug use/possession would save costs and generate income for the government.