Pubdate: Fri, 9 Feb 2001
Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Kamloops Daily News
Contact:  393 Seymour Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6P6
Fax: (250) 372-0823
Website: http://www.southam.com/kamloopsdailynews/
Author:  Allan Wishart

MISSION'S PROGRAM NOT FOR CRIMINALS

New Life Mission doesn't take people for treatment who don't want to be there.

Executive director Tim Larose says the addictions treatment program will 
not allow inmates to serve part of their sentences there.

"Someone may go into court for sentencing and say they're in the treatment 
program. The judge can put them on probation, given them a suspended 
sentence as long as they continue the program.

"If the judge gives them a sentence in jail, say six months, and they ask 
if three months of it can be considered for the treatment program, that's 
not where we are at. They can't serve jail time here."

At Tuesday's city council meeting, Coun. Pat Wallace expressed concerns 
about people being allowed to serve some of a jail sentence at the mission. 
Larose says part of the problem may be from an earlier discussion regarding 
the mission.

"The original rezoning here was for a treatment centre. When you get your 
zoning, you can change the actual usage to anything allowed under the zoning."

An opportunity came forward a few years ago for the mission to be a halfway 
house for federal inmates. Public pressure caused the idea to be dropped.

"There is some talk people could be sentenced here instead of jail. We 
won't allow this to happen. People have to want the treatment."

He says even prisoners applying for parole have to be looked at closely.

"Someone who has been in prison for five, six, seven years, they've been 
clean that long. They shouldn't really need to use the treatment program as 
part of their parole application."

The issue came up at the council meeting after a report was presented 
outlining the mission's attempts to become accredited as a drug and alcohol 
treatment facility. Larose says the accreditation would help with funding.

"An accredited program receives $40 a day from the ministry per client in 
treatment. There is also a block-funding component, which we're not 
interested in. It would place us in competition with groups like Kiwanis House."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom