DRUG COURT PROPOSED

Drug court: It's an idea whose time has come - and not just for the
big cities but Richmond as well, according to Coun. Linda Barnes.

"It's certainly something I would support," said Barnes, who until
recently was city council's liaison person to the Substance Abuse
Task Force, which is looking into the concept.

"We're interested in seeing if this can work in Richmond," said Vince
Battistelli, manager of Richmond Addiction Services and chair of the
task force.

"What we know is that there are people who are repeat offenders who
have addiction issues. We'd like to see if we can offer the courts
another option other than just sending them to jail," Battistelli added.

The drug treatment court is a way to address what many believe is a
revolving door justice system in regards to drug addicts.

"Certainly the system we have I don't think is particularly
affective, and we should be open to new ways of doing things," said
Robert Parsonage, a Richmond lawyer who deals with numerous drug
addicted offenders.

"Richmond has its fair share of drug addicts who regularly appear in
front of the court. Once in a while, we're all pleasantly surprised
when one of them breaks their addiction and starts getting their life
back on track, but certainly that's the exception."

The drug treatment court aims to deal with chronic offenders who
commit non-violent property crimes to support their addictions.

Such offenders would be required to plead guilty and enter a drug
rehabilitation program.

"It's about adopting a health model as opposed to a criminal model,"
said Barnes.

The hope is that by dealing with the root cause of an individual's
criminal behaviour, that person can escape the revolving door of the
legal system.

Moreover, the legal system can escape the crushing costs of
capturing, trying and jailing the same person, repeatedly.

"We sometimes see the same guy 20, 30, 40 times over a few months,"
said Cpl. Galib Bhayani with the Richmond RCMP.

"If we want to get the crime stats down we have to address the root
causes," said Bhayani, who heads the detachment's crime reduction unit.

Police also have to target repeat offenders. In the case of car
thefts, police have reported that approximately four per cent of the
criminals commit 80 per cent of the crimes.

"They call them The Four Per Centers," said Bhayani, also a member of
the Substance Abuse Task Force. "I definitely think we should at
least research the drug court option," he added.

The first drug court was established in Florida in the late 1980s.
The concept has since spread throughout the States and Canada.

Just last month, the Vancouver drug treatment court, which began as a
pilot project three years ago, was renewed for another three years.

Since January another four drug courts have been established across
Canada and Surrey's mayor is lobbying to have her city next on the list.

But the drug court system can only work if there is a continuum of
services that the offender can access as part of his or her sentence.

"We're not quite there yet," said Barnes.

While Richmond has RAS, there are also gaps in the system. Richmond
does not have a detox centre or a residential rehabilitation
facilities, for example.

"The beauty of the drug court is that there are as many models as
there are communities," said Christa Mullaly, an addictions
councillor with RAS who has been instrumental in gathering the data
about drug courts and the possibility of establishing one in Richmond.

"It's possible to develop a program that is very suited to Richmond."

Vancouver developed a comprehensive program from the ground up,
Mullaly said. Richmond, instead, may link programs already
established, she added.

"It may be about looking at what is already out there and using those
resources and filling in the gaps where it's needed."

Richmond may not need it's own residential facility, for example, as
long as it has access to such a place in a nearby jurisdiction.

But whether the service is in Richmond or not, the Richmond court has
to be given a range of options in order to met out an appropriate
sentence for the offender.

Others question whether Richmond has a serious enough drug problem to
warrant the time and effort in creating a drug court.

"You don't see addicts shooting up in back alleys or drug deals going
down on street corners," Barnes said. But the problem is still very
real, she argues.

"The drug problem in Richmond looks much different than it does in
Surrey or Vancouver. Because our addicts are less visible, it's
harder to get public acceptance that there is a problem."

Nevertheless the problem exists, she added, pointing to the rash of
metal thefts in recent months which some believe is largely fuelled
by drug addiction.

Others critics of the drug court system question the concept of
mandatory treatment. Addiction counsellors generally agree that
therapy is most successful if the client is willing and motivated -
not coerced.

Barnes noted that no accused person is forced to go through drug court.

"That is just an option. They can go through the conventional court
system if they want."

Finally, some have argued that drug courts simply don't work, and
have done nothing to bring down the rate of recidivism.

Battistelli agrees that addiction may still only be one part of the
problem. Mental illness, poverty and homelessness are also factors in
many crimes.

A recent report put out by the B.C. Justice Review Task Force, called
not just for a drug court but a "community court" which could offer
"wrap around" services.

Building that web of support tends to be supported by Richmond city
councillors in theory.

However in a city with minimal affordable housing, no residential
drug treatment facility and no shelter for homeless women or
children, it's unclear whether that theory will translate into reality.

Nevertheless, a drug court could be a step towards addressing the
underlying causes of crime in Richmond, said Barnes.