DRUG COURT MAKES DIFFERENCE IN LIVES OF YOUTH

You've got to hand it to Ontario court Justice Kofi Barnes. He was a
man who saw a problem, didn't like the current solutions and sought a
new way to deal with those charged with drug offences.

The Durham-based judge, who had experience working as a prosecutor in
Toronto with people charged with drug offences, had seen the same old
depressing pattern of revolving door offences. Young people would be
charged, appear in court, receive sentencing and show right back up in
the same place time after time.

Whatever was being done in the name of justice with these offenders,
it wasn't working. It was a short-term answer to a long-term problem
and no discernible difference was being made.

So Justice Barnes decided to change the way the system worked. His
goal was to make a meaningful difference in young lives gone off
track, with the hope of getting them back on the rails.

The answer is Durham Region's Drug Treatment Court. The goal of the
court is to help drug addicts facing non-violent criminal charges get
to the root cause of their problem. They have to be willing to make an
effort to change. And if they do their part, Justice Barnes, part
judge, part parent, part brother, part friend, will be there to
congratulate them for success.

The judge gave kudos recently to a young man after receiving reports
from the Crown attorney and the defendant that suggested he was making
good progress in life. He dealt with several others who are
experiencing varying degrees of success and failure but are under the
watchful eye of the judge and the system. The message seems clear: If
you really want to change, we'll help you along the way. We won't
forget about you or neglect you.

The long-term goal is to help save young lives and provide a way for
people to realize their potential before they end up going down a
black hole into a life of crime and addiction.

Justice Barnes is leading the fight and deserves credit. But it's
clear the winners in this story are those who take advantage of what's
offered and turn their lives around. We're all better for it.