Lethbridge Drug Treatment Court highlighted at SACPA

A drug treatment court that was started in November of 2020 is having a big impact in Lethbridge. The court was the topic of discussion during a SAPCA session at the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization on Thursday. Chelsey De Groot, the Regional Director for the Lethbridge Drug Treatment Court program says the initiative has been successful so far with one graduate that has completed the 12 to 16 month program. She outlined exactly what the drug treatment court does here in our city.

“The Lethbridge Drug Treatment Court is for offenders who have committed crimes due to their drug habits. Usually that’s trafficking drugs and/or committing crimes to feed their drug addiction. We do not take commercial dealers that are looking at gaining financial means from their trafficking. It’s for offenders that are looking at one to five years of custody. This is kind of a way to keep them in community and rehabilitate them and not sending them to jail.”

There are currently seven people in the program. In order for a drug treatment court application to be approved the person has to first plead guilty to any charges they are facing.