Lethbridge to have first drug treatment court in Alberta outside of major cities

The Alberta government will establish a drug treatment court in Lethbridge by late next year, a first of its kind in the province, outside of Calgary and Edmonton.

A drug treatment court offers an alternative to prison for nonviolent offenders with the aim of rehabilitation versus reincarceration. That alternative is a comprehensive program under judicial supervision that offers treatments, incentives and other support, as well as monitoring for an individual. 

"With the meth issues that we're having in addition to the opioid crisis that we have in the province of Alberta, ensuring that we have treatment options for those that are going through the criminal justice system is key," said Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer at the announcement Monday.

The use of hard drugs in Lethbridge is nearly six times the national average, Schweitzer said.

The province has set aside $20 million over four years to fund five additional drug treatment courts across Alberta, including the one in Lethbridge.

Existing programs in Edmonton and Calgary will be added to, while the locations of the other drug treatment sites remain to be determined.

Grace Froese, who manages the drug treatment court in Edmonton, says that both Calgary and Edmonton have seen a high success rate with their programs.

"Together, our courts have seen over 70 per cent success with high-risk and high-needs participants, who have since graduated and have not had new criminal convictions," said Froese.

"That's substantial."

An additional $50 million has been promised by the provincial government to increase the budget of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), with the aim to address organized crime across Alberta.

This allotment will mean that several regional organized crime units will get new investigators.

Lethbridge will receive four new investigators and a new ALERT unit specifically targeting methamphetamine and opioids.