The Queensland Drug Court: a recidivism study of the first 100 graduates
Research and public policy series, no. 83
Jason Payne
Australian Institute of Criminology
The report highlights aspects of the Queensland drug court's operation and describes the longitudinal recidivism outcomes of those who are successful and unsuccessful in their endeavours to become drug and crime free. The report emphasises the positive benefits experienced by drug court participants who embrace the opportunity for rehabilitation. Successful offenders consistently report a large decline in their criminal activity and lower rates of recidivism than those who were unsuccessful or those who were sent to prison.

A summary of diversion programs for drug and drug-related offenders in Australia DPMP Monograph 16
Caitlin Hughes and Alison Ritter
Drug Policy Modelling Program
This project has summarised the current state of diversion in Australia: its nature and design. The project identified 51 programs operating for the diversion of drug and drug-related offenders throughout Australia. These programs are now provided across the full spectrum of the diversion system, via police, courts and specialist courts. By documenting the major types of diversion and their unique features we have identified key similarities and differences. The challenge is to facilitate the improvement of Australia's diversionary response by increasing knowledge of what design features contribute towards the provision of effective diversion and which do not.

Drug testing in schools: evidence, impacts and alternatives
ANCD Research Paper 16
Ann M. Roche, Ken Pidd, Petra Bywood, Vinita Duraisingam, Tania Steenson, Toby Freeman, Roger Nicholas
Australian National Council on Drugs
The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) was commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) in March 2007 to undertake an independent, comprehensive and critical examination of all relevant issues involved in drug detection and screening in the school setting.

The impact of social networks and not-for-profit illicit drug dealing on illicit drug markets in Australia
Prepared by Roger Nicholas
National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund
The illicit drug markets in Australia are often regarded as fiercely competitive, profitdriven ‘dog-eat-dog’ enterprises dominated by criminal groups. From this perspective, the participants in the markets come together only briefly to conduct their profit-motivated transactions. While this may describe some of the upper levels of the market, a rather different picture emerges when examining the limited amount of research that has been conducted concerning the lowest level of the retail illicit drug market. At this level of the market, the research clearly demonstrates that social networks become far more important to the distribution of illicit drugs.

Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS specifications 2008-09: data dictionary, collection guidelines and validation processes
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
These guidelines have been prepared as a reference for those involved in collecting and supplying the data for the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS-NMDS). It should be particularly useful to staff in Australian Government, state and territory departments, and alcohol and other drug treatment agency staff directly involved in the collection and reporting of the data set. Treatment agency staff looking for information to assist them in providing AODTS-NMDS data to third parties will find details about each data item, such as 'principal drug of concern', in Chapter 4.