DRUG COURT OFFERS A SOLUTION FOR CITY

With Addicts Behind Most Property Crimes, We Need to Find a Better Way
to Offer Support

Here is a simple message the public should send to our politicians:
Quit talking about drug courts and other solutions to the problems of
addiction and crime and actually do something.

The idea of a drug court surfaced again at the recent Voices of
Substance conference in Victoria. It's no longer radical or cutting
edge; some 1,200 communities have introduced versions, including
several Canadian cities.

Addicts commit crimes -- lots of crimes -- to pay for drugs. Locking
them up is expensive and ineffective since they are released and pick
up where they left off.

But something has to be done. Victoria Police Chief Paul Battershill
estimates 90 per cent of property crimes in the city are committed by
addicts looking for drug money. That's 8,500 offences a year,
including break-ins and thefts from cars and all the kinds of petty
crime that undermine a community's sense of security.

Drug courts provide a practical option. Typically, offenders admit
their guilt and volunteer for treatment. Judges defer sentencing as
long as offenders are making progress -- attending treatment sessions
and counselling, passing drug tests and staying out of trouble. The
emphasis is on support, including immediate access to detox and rehab
programs and regular appearances in court to demonstrate their
commitment. Stay the course and the judge might well grant a discharge.

But it's not a free ride. If addicts skip treatment or fall to show
progress, they can be sentenced as if they were in a normal court
setting. It's only an alternative for people able and willing to seize
the chance.

Battershill, Attorney General Wally Oppal, Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe
and community groups from social service agencies to the Chamber of
Commerce all agreed that a drug court makes sense for Victoria.

But there's no plan to make it happen, just talk about it being a good
idea. Oppal says his priority is setting up a second drug-court
program in Vancouver, because the crime problem is more serious there.

Drug courts cost money, at least in the short term. Treatment and
counselling have to be available, for starters, something that is not
now true. The Vancouver Island Health Authority would have to be part
of the program and would need additional funding to provide the
required services.

But the benefits have outweighed the costs in other jurisdictions.
Even given a high failure rate -- success in fighting addiction does
not come easily -- the savings are substantial. Addicts place demands
on police and health care and social services. Helping them off drugs
reduces all those costs, while making the city more secure for everyone.

We're past the time when it's heartening to hear people talk about
more effective approaches to addiction, from drug courts to safe
injection sites.

It's time for action.