The Ministry of Justice is to ask the Courts Service to extend the specialist drug court model to up to four more magistrates' courts, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said this week. The decision follows an evaluation of the two drug courts already in operation in west London and Leeds, which found the courts have helped to reduce reconviction rates and improved attendance and compliance. Straw said having the same district judge or magistrates' panel supervise an offender's progress had had a 'statistically significant' positive impact.