New Zealand's mental health and addiction services are so stretched even heavily addicted, high-needs criminals in government-run initiatives face waits of up to five months for treatment.
The Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment courts at the Auckland and Waitakere District Courts were set up in 2012 to try and treat criminals' addictions as a health issue, diverting them from prison and into treatment.
But even after meeting the strict criteria required, the 100 offenders accepted each year are frequently waiting in prison for months until they can get help.
Last year one participant waited 154 days for treatment through the Auckland AODT Court, and through the Waitākere AODT Court, the maximum wait was 106 days.
The average wait for treatment was around two months for both courts - 67 days at Auckland and 57 days at Waitākere. The minimum for both was one day.
"These are people that, when they're ready to get help, they can't get it immediately. And that's a problem," said Lynette Hutson, national director of The Salvation Army's addiction services.
The Salvation Army, Higher Ground, and Odyssey together provide all the treatment for offenders going through the court.
All three had the same message:
"There's definitely not enough money going into the drug courts at the moment there needs to be a lot more," said Johnny Dow, director of Higher Ground.
"[The wait times] don't shock me because I'm so used to it," said Fiona Trevelyan, CEO of Odyssey.
