Public Safety committee  No, they're not involved with us at that stage, because they're guilty pleas, and they're looking at a sentence that could relate to it. So they're sentenced after the fact. They're not sentenced right away. They plead guilty right away, but they're not sentenced until after they complete the program.

Public Safety committee  The federal guidelines say that we cannot take violent offenders. That's where our guidelines come from as far as our funding agreement goes. That's what it basically boils down to. We take a look at people on a case-by-case basis. We don't necessarily exclude them. If it's a one-time thing or if it's someone who doesn't have a history of violence, we may look at them.

Public Safety committee  Most definitely.

Public Safety committee  When we talk about peer mentoring, we talk an awful lot about our graduates getting involved with our participants. Right now we're having a meeting every two weeks with the participants and graduates, which the graduates wanted us to do, to talk to them about their problems and to help them out along the way.

Public Safety committee  I have one comment regarding that. We don't have many in our program. I know Vancouver has quite a few and I don't know how many James does in Ottawa. We have a couple in our program and we have found success with them as well, but it is a lifelong drug that they're going to be on with methadone.

Public Safety committee  I got that out of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. So 11.6% of those who complete drug treatment court programs ran into trouble with the law again, and of course you can't measure it. I agree, it's probably two years out. That is what I would think.

Public Safety committee  I will check that out and get back to you.

Public Safety committee  We do get out in the community quite often. In fact, one year I got out 52 times in one year. So that means I'm getting out an average of once a week. We go to speak to different organizations. We go to speak to universities and colleges. We've spoken at the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association.

Public Safety committee  Once a week.

Public Safety committee  Yes, I do.

Public Safety committee  When we did our original evaluation, it was 27.5%, and that has increased now to a 32% graduation rate. All the graduates come back and see us. There are people who didn't graduate who come back to us as well. Even after they've been removed from the program, they come back to us and tell us how well they're doing.

Public Safety committee  That's correct, and I think across Canada most of the people who come to drug courts would be receiving a custodial sentence. So they would return to the original sentence that was set out at the beginning, usually. That's an early case resolution. In our provinces, they would be receiving somewhere between 18 months and three years in jail, and that varies up to two years less a day, I think, in Ottawa.

Public Safety committee  I can attest that the drug treatment courts across Canada have varying results, and I think that's what Margaret was alluding to. We're seeing very promising and encouraging results, moving forward. We're seeing a great cost saving. I can speak a good deal about Edmonton, because that's where I'm from.

Public Safety committee  I'm sorry, I'm not aware of it.

Public Safety committee  No.