Ms Maria McDonald:

The offender would have to know of those services and very often the obligation would be on the solicitor to tell them. It is very hard for an offender when they are in that addiction process to know about the services or to consider their options. They must be told about them. Arguably, the judge could have a role to indicate this, to ask the offender if it is something they have considered and suggest they talk to their solicitor about it. With training, solicitors and barristers would also need to be aware of the appropriate services and the local services, not just the Judiciary.