DRUG COURT GIVES ADDICTS HOPE

Ground-Breaking Approach Puts Treatment Ahead Of Jail

In drug treatment court, where laughter is often heard and offenders
enthusiastically applaud each other's progress, a young woman in the
prisoner's docket on Wednesday smiled, even though she had just
pleaded guilty to her crimes.

This weekend, the woman heads off to Action North, a drug program in
High Level.

"I'm really looking forward to this," she told the assembled masses
in Courtroom 267.

"We look forward to hearing from you every week," Judge Darlene Wong replied.

The woman waved and said, "Thank you very much," as she was led away,
back into custody.

Edmonton's drug treatment court is so successful it now has a backlog
of addicts wanting to kick their habits, two years after the pilot
project began.

If executive director Doug Brady has his way, the program will grow
to meet their needs.

The project, which offers addicts a court-based treatment program
rather than jail sentences, started in December 2005. Its funding has
to be renewed at the end of March 2009, but Brady is already "looking
to the future" and hopes to expand.

Currently, there are few staff and only two guaranteed treatment
beds. Brady's preference to get people into the program as soon as
possible after they are charged with drug offences has become unattainable.

"We try to see them in 30 days, but sometimes it can take six weeks.

We have some people backlogged for months. It's unfortunate."

Still, he thinks the program has grown as fast as it could.

"We're still a pilot project. We're still finding out what works.
We've learned an awful lot and are at the point where we can expand.
We've expanded at the right pace."

When the program convenes in every Wednesday afternoon, there are
drug offenders in the prisoner dock hoping to find some way into the program.

It can now handle up to 27 people at a time. Brady sees a capacity of
anywhere from 65 to 100 in the future. For that, he hopes for an
extension of the current federal funding and extra money from the
province to hire staff and secure more treatment beds.

The program's hopes for expansion will come as welcome news to police
Chief Mike Boyd. Two weeks ago, the city's top cop applauded the
program, but said it needed to grow to help some of the 137 habitual
criminals in the city who take up 30 per cent of his officers' time.

"They're making great gains, but there's not enough of it," Boyd said
at the time. "Drug dependence is primarily a health problem."

To qualify for the program, addicts must have no violent or sexual
offences on their records and must want to kick drugs. Those who sign
up face prison sentences of 18 months to three years.

Without the program, Brady said, most would complete their sentences
with their addictions intact and no social tools to help them get by.

Once in the program, addicts get counselling, employment help and
random drug tests throughout.

Each participant has to stand up and discuss their progress in front
of the judge, as other recovering addicts look on in the packed
courtroom. The openness is part of the treatment, a motivation to do well.

"I wouldn't want to look like a failure to my peers," said Shannon
Lust, 23, a graduate of the program.

She still attends, smiling and shaking hands with others as she
entered the courtroom. Wong made a special point of saying hello. "I
wanted to come back and visit friends, to be supportive," Lust said.

The atmosphere was nothing like the usual sombre courtroom. There was
laughter and loud applause and hugs for those who had achieved a goal
or simply had a good week.