The domestic violence treatment option program exists today thanks to two judges who met at an Aboriginal law conference a decade-and-a-half ago.
The program began in North Battleford in the early part of the millennium and is now also offered in both Saskatoon and Regina.
Offenders who have pleaded guilty to violent crimes are able to receive rehabilitation assistance from both justice officials to health workers.
Retired Judge Violet Meekma met a fellow judge from the Yukon during a law conference in Saskatoon several years ago and he told her about a domestic violence program that was working well in the Northwest Territories.
Meekma says she took the idea to Saskatchewan justice officials and the resulting program is the crowning achievement of her career.
“You know, I’ve often said that being involved with the domestic violence court was the most rewarding experience of my career and I still say that,” she says. “It was wonderful to be involved at the beginning with it. Of course, I’ve been away from it now for a year-and-a-half, but it’s really gratifying to see that it’s still going so strong and everybody is really working hard at it and the results are still very good.”
The program’s beginnings were celebrated in North Battleford provincial court this past Friday.