Philip Holt was sentenced in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court this week to a two-year Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order - or DATO - under the new Drug Court initiative, which aims to break the cycle for people trapped in drug-related re-offending.

In June, Holt appeared before the court on theft and driving charges and asked Magistrate Letizia Torres to consider him for the initiative.

"I want to be a better person ... I'm over all this," he told her in June.

The Drug Court was introduced in Ballarat in February as part of its expansion to regional Victoria.

It has proved successful in other locations and evaluations have shown a 70 per cent reduction in prison time for DATO participants.

A 32 per cent reduction in unemployment and a 23 per cent reduction in reoffending rates have also been shown over the first 12 months after program completion.

Ms Torres ordered two reports from clinicians to assess his suitability for the treatment order.

In court on Wednesday she said his offending was "nasty and opportunistic" against often "vulnerable or distracted" people.

"Your offending is serious and continuing across many months," she said.

"You caused a lot of discomfort and loss for people going about their daily lives.

"Snatching a wallet from a 90 year old man from the bank - I hope you have had a chance to reflect on that ... it's not only illegal, it's just wrong."

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Each case in the Drug Court must meet a set of extensive criteria and the offender must be pleading guilty to all charges to be eligible for a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order, or DATO.

In sentencing Holt to a DATO, Ms Torres said she took into account his personal problems, long standing drug use and intellectual disability.

He was sentenced to an eleven month prison term, with 117 days pre-sentence detention, to be absorbed into his two year order.

Conditions of Holt's DATO include a 9pm to 6am curfew, requirement to engage in family based programs, not to drink alcohol and not to drive a motor vehicle.

He was also ordered not to live with his partner - a condition which may change in time.

He told the court he had been undertaking the Caring Dads program in jail and wanted to get out to see his step-children.

"The kids are looking forward to me getting out ... they call me 'dad'," Holt said.

"I understand the severity and the importance of doing the right thing."

Ms Torres warned Holt he would return to prison if he did not follow the conditions of the order.

"You do the DATO, you do it properly. If you don't, you'll do the time," she said.

"Two years, it's a long order and the reason it's a long order is because we don't want people making some progress and then go back to reoffending.

"At the end of the DATO we want you to be a productive member of society ... we want to start again, a new beginning."

Holt told the court he was grateful.

"Thank you for putting me on the order and giving me a chance," he said.

"I hope you make the best of it,' the magistrate replied.

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