COMMUNITY COURT OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Downtown Eastside Court Will Handle Break-Ins, Assaults, Drug Possession

The city's community court that opens in the Downtown Eastside today
will be staffed with enough people to handle the 1,500 accused
criminals expected to be processed through the court every year.

That's the promise from Attorney-General Wally Oppal who described the
court--the first of its kind in Canada--as the most creative court
initiative the provincial government has implemented in 35 years.

"We absolutely are going to put more than enough resources [in the
court]," Oppal told the Courier. "We need to do that, otherwise it's
not fair to this project. It's not going to be fruitful or useful for
anyone to go about it in a half-hearted way."

More than 40 people will work out of the court, including two judges,
three Crown prosecutors, three defence lawyers, eight probation
officers, two nurses, two employment assistance workers and a B.C.
Housing support worker.

The agencies involved include the Vancouver Police Department,
Vancouver Coastal Health, the Ministry of Housing and Social
Development, the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of
B.C. and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission.

Traditionally, organizations tied to the criminal justice system have
"worked in silos," said Oppal, adding he believes sometimes there's
too much independent work by police, prosecutors and judges.

"The public wants answers, the public wants safer communities and the
public doesn't care how it's done," he said. "It's up to us put aside
our historical procedures and historical practices and work towards
what is in the best interest of the community."

The court will hear cases involving people who committed crimes in an
area ranging from Stanley Park through downtown to Clark Drive, with
Great Northern Way as the southern boundary and the harbour and
Burrard Inlet as the northern boundary.

Crimes to be dealt with include shoplifting, vehicle break-ins,
mischief, assault and drug possession. The community court differs
from the traditional court in that the focus is on rehabilitation of
the offender.

Candidates for the court are interviewed by an assessment team of
workers that will include health, social service and housing
professionals.

Aboriginal court workers will also be on hand.

In straightforward cases, the plan may simply be a recommendation to
have the offender attend health or drug treatment information sessions
or be referred to housing, income assistance or health care.

More complex cases may require the offender to be assessed by mental
health and addiction specialists. Upon sentencing, the judge is given
a complete history of the offender. The plan is to bring an offender
before a judge immediately rather than have that person make several
court appearances. Judges Thomas Gove and David Pendleton will preside
over the court at 211 Gore Street.

Oppal agreed that historically, in the current court system, an
offender hasn't received the necessary treatment or counselling and
continues to commit crime. He said the community court's goal is to
stop the cycle.

He noted 80 per cent of the crime in the court's jurisdiction is
committed by seven per cent of people, who are either addicted to
drugs and alcohol or mentally ill or both.

"We won't cure all of them, but we'll cure a lot of them," he said.
"But at the same time, the public has to be ensured that this isn't
some kind of soft approach that's going to condone illegal activity,
because it is a criminal court and the judge has all the necessary
power and the sanctions to send the person to jail."