chairman Malcolm Butterfield.

And the NDC vowed it will go full speed ahead with the court after revealing it had recently appointed a coordinator to run the project, although officials were unwilling to name the person.

NDC Chief Executive Officer Derrick Binns said a site had yet to be identified, although the new court was expected to be running by the end of the year.

Dr. Binns said he hoped time could be allotted at Magistrates' Court for drug court sessions.

He explained suspects would be assessed to see if they were addicts who might respond to help -- if they successfully got off drugs, the charges would be dropped.

But he said those who reneged on promises to stay drug free could face even stiffer prison sentences. And violent offenders were unlikely to be dealt with by the drugs court.

Speaking at a Hamilton Lions Club luncheon yesterday, his colleague Mr.

Butterfield explained the rationale behind the drug court.

He said: "With a very high percentage of Bermuda's prison population incarcerated with drug-related problems -- and the significant cost to hold them in prison -- it makes sense to provide drug treatment to those persons who seriously want treatment.'' Mr. Butterfield said offenders in the drugs court would be held to a monitoring process lasting some 12 to 15 months and the judge would hold the offender to a more stringent accountability than in prison.

He said: "Over the course of a defendant's participation in the drugs court, he or she will have very frequent contacts with treatment and other rehabilitation specialists.

"They will be required to attend drugs court case reviews and status hearings, perhaps as many as 20 to 30 times, and they will be subject to frequent random urine analysis to detect drug use.

"So no, it is not an easy escape for offenders.'' "The NDC is already working to build the infrastructure needed to support the drugs court and working with the Bermuda Hospitals Board and Turning Point Substance Abuse Centre to develop a dedicated detoxification centre,'' he added.