JUDGE CALLS FOR SPEEDIER JUSTICE

Swifter sentences and more effective treatment are needed to help
criminals struggling with drug addictions and mental illnesses, a
judge said Tuesday.

Many of those charged with a crime and brought into the court system
need help more than punishment, chief provincial court judge Hugh
Stansfield said.

"Forgive me if I sound like a bleeding heart," Stansfield told a
Kelowna audience, "but if you come into a courtroom, you'll see that
many of them are just sad people."

People charged with relatively minor crimes should be given speedier
access to the kind of treatment programs that can address their
underlying drug or mental illness problems, he said.

Their cases could also be dealt with more quickly, rather than
repeatedly adjourned, Stansfield said.

Stansfield suggested the changes could be accommodated within the
existing system rather than implemented by a new community court in Kelowna.

"I'm not sure that it makes sense to set up a separate stream here," he said.

A community court being contemplated for Vancouver might hear 2,500
of the 17,000 cases a year that are currently handled by the downtown
courthouse.

Also known as special purpose courts, community courts generally
focus on more minor crimes such as vehicle theft and break-ins.

They typically see a person plead guilty in exchange for a lighter
sentence than they would receive in the traditional court system. As
well, they're immediately connected with social service agencies that
can help them.

Stansfield cited the experience of a community court in New York
City: a person breaks into a car in the morning, is caught by police,
brought before the court and pleads guilty and is matched with
support agencies.

"In the afternoon, he's out sweeping the streets wearing a bib that
says 'Community Court' on it," Stansfield said.

"The immediate and visible accountability serves the public interest."

Creation of community courts require a "common vision" among police,
Crown prosecutors, defence lawyers and probation officers, Stansfield
said, something he said is increasingly likely.

"There are a lot of people in the system who are just bloody fed up,"
Stansfield said.

"As judges, we just want to do what works, what makes sense."