‘Court of Hope’ helps turn around the lives of addicts

WATCH ABOVE: In part one of our special series Court of Hope – Reporter Mia Sosiak is granted exclusive access to the life and journey of a hardened career criminal.

Randy Seefried was just a boy, but already an addict, when he was averaging 30 break-and-enters every week.

Seefried was incarcerated hundreds of times, but never got off drugs.

“It didn’t address my addiction problem,” said Seefried.

His family was afraid he was as good as dead.

“I have died,” he said. “They revived me in the back of an ambulance with the paddles.  I’ve overdosed nothing short of probably 50 times.”

A $200-a-day cocaine habit costs $2,000 to finance with stolen goods.

Addiction costs all of us – in hospital, police, court, prison and insurance dollars.

“I don’t want to be that institutionalized, evil, mean, bad, drug addict waste of flesh,” said Seefried.

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That’s why he is at Calgary’s Drug Treatment Court.

Drug Treatment Court is based on the idea that if you treat the addict, you stop their crimes; justice meets compassion.

Judge Jim Ogle helped open Drug Treatment Court with little money and just a handful of participants in 2007.

The court has grown and changed, but the judge’s weekly conversations are still motivating and keeping participants in line.

“I don’t find it hard to be genuine in there,” said Ogle.

 “I do care about their recovery. I want to see them do well.”

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The program accepts non-violent addicts with the longest drug use and the most problems, under strict conditions. Participants have to show up for random drug testing two or three times a week. If participants breach their conditions, they go back to jail.

When they succeed, there is celebration.

Jacqueline Abbott, who is also a crown prosecutor outside of drug court, can’t believe how much participants in the program change.

“If they would stop offending that would be great, even if they would just slow down, I would have been pretty happy. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined that people could achieve what they do,” said Abbott.

“When I think of all the good things I could have done in life as opposed to all the bad things I’ve done in life …I’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” said Seefried.

Little by little, Seefried is doing it.

He hasn’t missed a day in 10 months, or held a job that long.

“The Calgary Drug Treatment Court is accomplishing many miracles,” he said.

“This has become my family. Sincere, genuinely true people who care and that made me want to give the same back in return.”