Editor's note: The name Jeannine is a pseudonym to protect the individual's identity.

The run-ins with police amounted to about 400 in about two months. Jeannine was in and out of the hospital and jail. She called the streets home.

That was less than a year ago.

Now, after nine months as a client of the downtown Assertive Community Treatment team and Victoria Integrated Court, Jeannine lives in a one-bedroom apartment. SheB次元官网网址檚 slashed her encounters with police to just one a month and sheB次元官网网址檚 regained her self-worth.

B次元官网网址淲e see a lady who definitely required our support and was high profile in the community who got to where she has got her dignity back,B次元官网网址� said Rick Sanderson, an outreach worker with the downtown ACT team.

Integrated court has operated in Victoria for just over a year  and those involved are praising its success. About half the people who go through the hands-on system once havenB次元官网网址檛 been charged with crimes again. A few, though, havenB次元官网网址檛 improved.

B次元官网网址淭he frustration I had as a judge in the regular court was dealing with multiple repeat offenders,B次元官网网址� said provincial court Judge Ernie Quantz, who was vital to initiating the local integrated court. B次元官网网址淭here was that cycle. ... The desire I had and my colleagues had was to support the teams.B次元官网网址�

HereB次元官网网址檚 how it works: three ACT teams and VICOT, or Vancouver Integrated Community Outreach Team, are frontline workers who daily see people struggling with mental health and addiction issues. These are individuals who are frequently arrested, who are regular faces at the courthouse and are often admitted to hospital for infections, injuries or the effects of drugs and alcohol. About 100 of these people in Victoria are clients of the teams.

The teams are made up of outreach workers like Sanderson, as well as nurses, psychologists and social workers.

A teamsB次元官网网址� client who is charged is often sentenced in Victoria Integrated Court, or VIC. As a specialized division of the normal court system, VIC has one dedicated judge and one Crown counsel to oversee all the cases, every Tuesday morning.

Having the same people deal with every case gives consistency through  communication and builds trust, said Const. Laura Fluit, a Victoria police officer who works with VICOT.

B次元官网网址淓veryoneB次元官网网址檚 involve in making you succeed,B次元官网网址� Fluit said. B次元官网网址淚f you donB次元官网网址檛 want to be involved, you can leave the team.B次元官网网址�

According to Quantz, the teams identify individuals with a willingness to be active members of society.

B次元官网网址淗ere, the basic philosophy of the court is we want to support you with your recovery ... we recognize their reality and that reality is theyB次元官网网址檙e not going to get off drugs tomorrow,B次元官网网址� he said.

The VIC judge, who as of March is Adrian Brooks, has leeway to impose different kinds of sentences on the clients than the normal court system. It might be a shorter sentence so the client doesnB次元官网网址檛 run the risk of forfeiting his or her housing while in jail. It might be work service hours with the goal of having that person repay their debts to the community.

Quantz said the sentences shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be perceived as lenient. Daily or even twice daily contact with the teams means any veering from the court-imposed conditions of a sentence are caught straight away and dealt with.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the whole idea of immediate consequences and repaying the public,B次元官网网址� he said.

The Downtown Victoria Business Association works with VIC to offer community service work on its Clean Team B次元官网网址� sometimes within hours of a sentencing.

B次元官网网址淚 think the clients believe in this B次元官网网址� because it is a tailored solution,B次元官网网址� said DVBA general manager Ken Kelly. B次元官网网址淭hese are people who are not only frustrated with themselves, but the community is frustrated with the situation that is created when nothing is done to address the challenges.B次元官网网址�

This summer, Quantz and others will release a report on the effectiveness of VIC and outline where this new system B次元官网网址� which aims to manage almost all aspects of these individualsB次元官网网址� lives in a hands-on way B次元官网网址� still has gaps.

B次元官网网址淲e just keep kidding ourselves to think the police and the justice system will solve all our problems,B次元官网网址� Quantz said.

B次元官网网址淚 think at the end of the day, society needs to create the extra step to go from (sentences in a courtroom) to a more inspired, more productive life. We all have to be a little more open to the idea that we are all responsible.B次元官网网址�

VIC was launched without a drop of extra money B次元官网网址� except to buy a coffee machine for the meeting room used on Tuesdays. By rethinking how the system can work, big improvements have been achieved in Victoria, said judicial justice Brenda Edwards.

B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檝e really learned here is that with no new funding, we can produce a benefit, just by doing things differently.B次元官网网址�

ecardone@vicnews.com

Positive reinforcement

Many clients who successfully get through the VIC system return to court for positive reinforcement. When team members and a judge recognize the improvements people have made, it encourages continued rehabilitation, Sanderson said. The pride the teams have for many of the clients is something many people have never experienced before, he said.