Alcohol Court in Glasgow has saved lives says lawyer

As part of our Glasgow Times Investigates series examining alcohol and justice, we spoke with Haroun Malik, a partner at MCO Defence Solicitors.

Having dealt with hundreds of clients at Glasgow Sheriff Court, he revealed how the court system approaches alcohol issues.

He said: "I would say drugs or alcohol feature in most if not every case.

"If you have consumed alcohol and then offended, you can't use that as an excuse. It's not an excuse.

"You're responsible for your own actions, so the courts view it as an aggravating factor.

"But there's been a change in how the courts try to tackle the problem, they have specialist courts now."

The Alcohol Court, which we have previously covered as part of this investigation, was set up in 2018 and focuses on helping, not punishing, people with addiction.

Offenders need to be deemed suitable to appear there and commit fully to receiving help.

The lawyer added: "If you show that you're trying to address your problems, the court recognises that and it really does make a difference.

"You start to see them sometimes reduce or eliminate their alcohol intake.

"You see the offending tail off. I've seen people get jobs and work on their personal relationships.

"It cannot be stated the number of times where I've had clients commend sheriffs, social workers, the court and its agencies to have allowed them to get the support they need.

"It doesn't work with everybody and it's an opportunity. It's not a soft touch by any means and it's not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

"I've seen the intervention from the Alcohol Court and I've literally seen it save lives."

READ NEXT: What is Glasgow's Alcohol Court and how does it work?

This happens with the help of social and addiction workers and the sheriff, who follows the individual's progress through reports and court appointments.

Mr Malik said: "Each sheriff has their own style of assisting people and I would very highly commend how they run the Alcohol Court because sometimes people need consequences for their actions.

"The sheriffs are there to manage you effectively through it and make a decision about whether or not you're progressing well. If not, there are serious consequences.

"If you don't make any effort, you're taken off the Alcohol Court and sentenced."

Because it is so common, he meets people in various stages of recovery every day.

The solicitor explained what may lead to someone finding themselves in this court - trauma and vulnerability.

He said: "Good people can develop these issues. You could be anyone from any part of life.

"I've seen professionals, self-employed people, unemployed people.

"These problems can stem up and very quickly you find yourself in custody, alienated from your family, with an addiction that you can't manage.

"I'm dealing with the most vulnerable people in society.

"Sometimes they were abused or were in care, or they are homeless, so they've not had a stable life.

"And sometimes they black out and they won't remember what it is they've done. It's a horrible thing to see.

"They have to come to terms with what they've done. It can go into a spiral of more alcohol abuse, more instability, more offending.

"I feel really sad when I see somebody a good person feel really bad about committing offences.

"But I believe there's always a way and if you take responsibility for your actions, you can try to rebuild things that have broken down.

"And that's one of the reasons why I do the job."

READ NEXT: Inside Glasgow's Alcohol Court giving second chances

Mr Malik also explained why it's difficult for someone with harmful drinking to quit.

He said: "Nobody I know wants to go out and drink a litre of vodka in the morning. They want to stop drinking. They don't enjoy it. 

"Some people, when they wake up in the morning just to be OK, have to consume alcohol.

"It's very traumatic to see people in front of you, crying because they can't manage their addiction and their offending and they are harming those closest to them.

"The issue is trying to stop because it's very hard to do.

"Sometimes it can be dangerous and or fatal if you don't have the right support. Going through detox without medical supervision is not advised.

"But some people don't have access to GPs and they can't articulate their position or they’re not registered with the GP practice.

"So these are the issues that we keep seeing again and again. It's very frequent."

MORE IN THIS SERIES: Half of Glasgow Sheriff Court cases are alcohol-related

Glasgow campaign tackles link between hate crime and alcohol