Lethbridge’s drug treatment court celebrates one year of success stories

The goal is to not only help a person get clean, but get them to reintegrate into society through stable employment and housing, address any mental health concerns, and tackle other issues the person might be facing.

Another benefit is a greatly reduced rate of reoffending.

Calgary has had a drug treatment court since 2007. They have found that seven out of 10 graduates have no new charges or convictions, there is a 76 per cent drop in recidivism, and graduates have 67 per cent fewer contacts with police.

In order for an application into a drug treatment court program to be approved, the person must first plead guilty to any charges they face. In other words, accept responsibility for their actions.

Successful applicants must attend a residential treatment program, take part in counselling, provide regular drug tests, are subject to curfews, meet with social workers daily, take a variety of courses, and go to court every two weeks to provide updates.

“You have to be motivated to get into the program and you have to stay motivated to stay in the program,” says Carlson.

Those who complete the program can often avoid time in custody. The catch is, should they drop out of the drug treatment court partway through, their guilty pleas are voided and they get sentenced to the time they would have been set to face prior to entering the program.

Currently, there are eight people in Lethbridge’s drug treatment court. Due to the amount of time it takes to process applications, they have yet to see any graduates, but Carlson is hopeful that this will change soon.

He highlighted two people in the program.

One, who is presently the youngest at 24 years old, was looking at three to four years in jail for charges surrounding firearms, drug trafficking, drug possession, and stolen property.

The 24-year-old is now volunteering with a few non-profits in the city, has been offered a job upon completion of the program, has attended every required meeting, and is said to be highly motivated to get better.

Another, who is 43, had been in and out of the courts since he was a teenager.

Carlson said this individual used to hate coming to court and believed it was an oppressive measure.

Now, Carlson told LNN that this individual enjoys speaking to the courts because he gets to share his accomplishments and continued improvements in life. The 43-year-old is set to volunteer with a program where former drug dealers speak to families whose relatives are currently struggling with addiction.

Going forward, the lawyer expects that the number of people taking part in the drug treatment court will only continue to grow.

“The number of applications, I know, has risen dramatically because people on the street and in the jail are saying, ‘I know Mr. X. I ran into him the other day on the street and he’s taking these courses and he’s volunteering and his eyes are clear and his mind is clear and he’s making all these good decisions. I talked to him about this and it’s something that I want to do.”

The drug treatment court in Medicine Hat opened shortly after the one in Lethbridge. Grande Prairie started one of their own just earlier this month.

The key message that Carlson wanted to leave for anyone who is struggling in life or with addiction is that it is never too late for redemption and never too late to make a transformative change in your life.

by David Opinko

Lethbridge’s drug treatment court celebrates one year of success stories

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