A person’s participation with the Drug Court program may be terminated in unfavourable circumstances, including:
Where the person applies to have it terminated, or
Where the court decides that further participation poses an unacceptable risk to the community of further offending.
In these situations, the court’s initial sentence will normally be imposed as the final sentence.
This will normally be a sentence of full time imprisonment.
By contrast, termination may occur in favourable circumstances, including:
Where the court decides that the person has substantially complied with the program, or
Where court decides that a person is unlikely to make further progress in the program.
In these situations, the court may set aside the original sentence and impose another penalty – which is usually a non-custodial sentence.
Those who successfully complete the program will be awarded a certificate of completion and achievement.