What to expect if you are a participant in the EDTCRC
Getting Started
If needed, the first step may be to enter into a detox program. A detox program is a safe place to stay while going through withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. There will be counsellors and medical staff to help you there.
The EDTCRC Case Managers will also help find safe housing. If you want to live with friends or family, the Case Manager will make sure it is a good place for you to begin your recovery. Other options at this stage may be supportive houses, or a residential treatment program.
The Case Managers will work with you to make your own treatment plan, known as I-TRIP (Individual Treatment Recovery and Integration Plan). Together, you will decide what goals you will have for your time in the EDTCRC, related to your addiction, life skills, education, employment, health, housing, and community involvement.
The Case Managers play a big part in the program. You will see them at least once a week and they will be in charge of keeping track of progress and guiding you as you work toward your goals. The Case Managers will also help with:
- Setting reasonable rules for you, such as who you can have contact with, curfew, or other conditions
- Helping you get ID and social benefits
- Connecting you to community services for basic needs and support groups
- Referring you to help for medical issues that you may have
Addictions Treatment
The Case Managers will help find an addictions treatment program that is right for you. Many participants choose residential programs, and others take part in day programs. All participants also take part in the “Criminal and Addictive Thinking” group program. You may take part in many programs over time, as your needs change. This could include 12-Step meetings, Anger Management, and Parenting Skills, to name a few. You will meet with a Case Manager often to talk about how things are going and to try to solve any problems you may be facing.
Attending Court
Unless you are in a residential treatment program, you will go to EDTCRC Court every Wednesday afternoon. Before the Court session, the Judge, Crown, Case Managers, and Defence Counsel meet to talk about how you are doing. At Court, you will have a chance to talk to the EDTCRC Judge to report about your progress in the last week, share your thoughts and feelings, and get feedback. You will also talk about what you will work on for the next week.
If you are doing well, the Judge may respond by allowing you to leave Court early, reducing your bail conditions, giving you movie passes, or some other reward. If you are not making good progress, or have fallen off track, the Judge may ask you to do community service, change your bail conditions, or order you to spend time in custody. The goal is to provide fair and meaningful consequences for your efforts in the program.
Urine Testing
Participants are expected to make a real, hard effort to stay clean. You must take part in urine tests when asked, to check if you have used any drugs. If your test is positive, the EDTCRC team will decide in Court what consequence you will face. This may include more urine tests, stricter bail conditions, time in custody, or expulsion from the program.
Other Program Activities
While you are in the program you may be taking part in a wide variety of other activities that will help you rebuild your life. You may:
- Take courses to improve your education
- Talk to a career counsellor
- Get referrals to deal with medical or dental problems you may have
- See a psychologist or therapist about family or emotional problems
- Get connected with your cultural community
- Do community service
- Go to programs to learn new life skills
- Get family counselling to help with important relationships
- Find support groups and other resources for the future
Completing the Program
You must be in the program for at least 8 months before you can apply to “graduate” or finish the program. After about 16 months in the program, you will ‘automatically’ be considered for graduation (whether you have made an application or not).
To complete the program you must:
- how clean urine screens for 4 months in a row
- Substantially reach your goals on your I-TRIP
- Have contributed to the community in some way
The EDTCRC will decide if you have met all of these criteria. If so, you will then be sentenced by the Judge. In most cases, no probation will be required if you complete the program.
If you are clean for 4 months in a row from all drugs but complete the other requirements, you may still be allowed to graduate. In this case, the Judge will usually sentence you to an extra 1 year of probation with some conditions.
*It is important to note that dealing with an addiction is a life-long journey. Graduating, or completing, the EDTCRC program does not mean that this journey ends.
An alumni group is forming for the participants who have completed the Program and would like to “give back” to others going through the Program. They can offer support, plan events, be sponsors, advocate for the program, and act as role models to newer participants.
Exiting the EDTCRC
Recovering from an addiction is hard and there will be rough spots along the way. The EDTCRC team will try to work with you when you have trouble to help get you back on track. However, if that does not work, you may be asked to leave the program. If so, you will return to the regular court system and will be sentenced for your offences.
Here are some of the reasons you could be asked to leave the program:
- Committing a new crime that would disqualify you for EDTCRC (e.g., a violent crime)
- Breaching bail conditions many times
- Not taking part in treatment
- Not showing up for Court
- Absconding, or leaving the area without permission of the court
- Making little or no effort to stay clean
- Not meeting the criteria for completing the program, after 18 months
What is your role?
Taking part in the program is very hard work. You will need to put in a lot of time and energy to meet your I-TRIP goals. You are expected to take the program seriously, try hard, and work every day on your recovery. There will be ups and downs, but the team expects to see you doing your best to make your life better.
Most of all you must be honest. Be honest in your addictions treatment, be honest with the Judge and be honest with all of the rest of the EDTCRC team. Be honest about your experiences, and be honest about the mistakes you make and what you are going to do to fix them.
You will have a lot of choices to make. You will decide what your goals are, and you will have a say in how to try to meet those goals. At Court, you will be asked to share your thoughts and feelings. Your input is key to your success.