Some people may wonder if that's what's happening under the new Youth Criminal Justice Act. It's supposed to be a tool to ensure kids in trouble get the help they need. Like it or not, jail is used only as a last resort.
While a trip to court is often enough to scare most teens from committing another crime, it's not a deterrent for some.
A 14-year-old girl and her parents have been failed by the Act, the courts and social support system.
The parents pleaded for help from the judge as the girl faced sentencing for seven breaches of probation. She was convicted in August of stealing her parents' car and leading police on a high-speed chase.
After counselling at Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, the girl reportedly showed signs of improvement.
Not long after returning to Yellowknife, however, she stole money from her parents, broke curfew, skipped a counselling session and much more.
The judge described the law as a "blunt tool" but it doesn't have to be.
Under the letter of the law, the judge can't send the girl into custody, which includes a group home, for these breaches of the probation order.
Until she commits another crime, the court can only order more probation. A group home is considered custody, and is out of the question.
The Act allows the case to be sent to Social Services for review, but would that have helped? This girl is no hardened criminal -- she needs counselling and help, best provided by social workers.
Surely social services is already deeply involved in trying to help this family.
Judges and Crown attorneys must be encouraged to get more creative in applying the law.
If probation is the only remedy, it needs to be effective.
Reporting to a desk-bound probation officer once a week isn't enough. Why not daily? At least then the probation officer will know what the teen is doing every day.
Community service can make a point, too.
If the law isn't that flexible, parents, police, social workers, lawyers and politicians must work to refine it.
Parents, too, have to be ready to do more. Having a child is a lifetime commitment and means constant sacrifices.
When a child is in trouble with the law, work, play and almost everything else must become secondary.
The case involving this 14-year-old girl is extraordinary, so it's going to take extraordinary efforts to make sure she gets the help she needs.
Otherwise she's only going to end up back in court, in jail or worse.
Editorial Comment
Lisa Scott
Kivalliq News
In June of this year, hamlet council in Rankin Inlet dreamed up the idea of the Hamlet Beautiful Contest, asking residents to spruce up their yards and try some landscaping.
The concept is great, but the delivery is wanting. Delays and a busy summer pushed the contest to the Labour Day weekend, giving the fall weather a chance to foil it, which it did.
Notices were tacked up around town, but the word obviously didn't get around. Coun. Robert Janes had only three yards to inspect before giving out the $500 first prize.
Despite problems with communication, council should be commended for trying to get rid of garbage and junk in the community.
They are right to worry about what memories visitors might share when they return south. Tourism thrives on cleanliness and beauty, not the detritus from old construction projects and dead cars that fill most yards here.
The problem doesn't stop with tourism either.
It poses a safety issue for children and animals and a health issue for everyone.
As I write, a bloody caribou leg lies outside my building, along with pop cans and other garbage. I watched a child bring a shard of glass to her mouth a couple of weeks ago.
There are garbage bins outside every house in Rankin Inlet. Why doesn't garbage find its way into these bins? It's an easy enough task. If you consume something, you are responsible for its waste.
That obviously isn't the view of the teenager I noticed the other day who threw her slushy cup over her shoulder onto the road.
Respect for the land
There seems to be a detachment of the people to their land. Respect for the land requires proper treatment of it. If Nunavummiut are so concerned about the future of their beautiful Arctic, it's time they took ownership of their houses, yards and communities.
I congratulate Gwen Thirwall Wiebe for winning the hamlet contest and the $500 cash prize. She put effort and thought into fixing up her yard. She and other residents should be proud of the clean and safe environment she has created.
The council says this is going to be an annual event from now on. Maybe it will force more residents to become accountable for the garbage they produce and for the landscape they live in.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
As Canada's health care woes dominate the headlines, the cost of delivering health and social services in the North remains a top concern for a territorial government treading in dangerous financial waters.
Maintain the same service with less seems to be the prime directive from the health czars in Yellowknife.
While our regional health and social services chief executive officer asserts that this scenario is possible, actually making it happen remains to be seen.
One problem, says our CEO, is retaining qualified and experienced health care workers.
It's one thing to lure them up here with promises of big salaries, but keeping them seems to be a problem according those in the know.
More trips, more cash
A shortfall in specialists and in some cases basic medical service in more remote communities means more trips south or to Yellowknife for Northern patients. It also means a skyrocketing tab for the GNWT.
While there is no quick-fix solution to this problem, perhaps offering health care professionals fresh from school the opportunity to work in the North for a fixed period, in exchange for paying their student loans, might provide some hope.
Attractive offer
At the very least, it takes seven or eight years to earn a degree in medicine, and, with the rising cost of education leaving many graduates in a financial hole, the prospect of earning a great salary and having student loans forgiven could be very attractive.
If the term of service was, say five years, chances are the territory will retain a significant number of those willing to do a "Northern tour."
For those who leave -- and surely numbers will equal or surpass the ones who stay -- there will be dozens of fresh graduates lining up to fill those spots. And a solid core of experienced ones to shepherd the rookies coming into the system.
Though this plan does not ensure health care professionals experienced in delivering care in the North at the outset, 10 or 15 years down the road it could very well provide for that solid base of experience all regional health authorities crave.
Preventative measures
As the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" may be better rephrased for the North as "10 cigarettes less a day...," there is nothing more compelling in these times of overflowing waiting rooms and soaring prescription drug prices as adhering to a healthy lifestyle.
It has been shown that aboriginal people are more prone to type II diabetes, a totally preventable disease.
Refined sugars found in most processed foods are the primary culprit here, not to mention fast food, which tends to wreak havoc in bodies not accustomed to dealing with such things.
The health department's campaign in the North to lead healthier lifestyles should be backed up by legislation banning food in the North that we know to cause type II diabetes amongst aboriginal people.
Some will say a ban such as this would be costly to enforce, besides the fact that processed foods tend to be the cheaper option.
However, if the GNWT really wants to be proactive in the health care arena, taking a closer look at this may be the order of the day to keep potential health problems of the future at bay.
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
Newspapers should strive to be accurate and fair.
Those are elements that are integral to the reputation of any media outlet.
Sensitivity is another attribute that newspapers occasionally struggle with, especially in small communities. Weighing news value against a person's right to privacy is something that had to be considered this week. After a brief deliberation, the answer was obvious, although difficult.
The chief in Nahanni Butte was charged with four crimes on Sept. 3. He has since resigned.
Realistically, the story couldn't be written without identifying the chief and the circumstances leading up to his resignation.
That is news.
There is no dilemma from a legal standpoint. When a person, other than a young offender, is charged with a crime, it's generally a matter of public record.
Nonetheless, those who are charged are usually not named by this newspaper. The names of those who are convicted of serious offences are sometimes published.
Exceptions are made -- as in the case of the Nahanni Butte chief -- when charges are laid against those who hold positions of public trust. A chief, a mayor, a police officer and school principals, for example, are commonly considered to be community leaders.
When they breach that public trust, or even when they are accused of it, they are in the spotlight.
That said, being charged does not mean that the individual is guilty. That is for the courts to determine.
The Drum will make every effort to follow this case to its conclusion.
What's expected of a chief is honesty, accountability, good judgment and foresight.
Taking on the title of chief doesn't make a person infallible, of course. However, that individual assumes greater responsibility than the average citizen. That cannot be denied.
What has happened in Nahanni Butte is a setback for the community. Yet there had already been talk of the divided nature of things in the Butte, population approximately 100, for much of the past year. The community is comprised of several families, but there is friction between a few of them.
If residents needed a chance to regroup and start fresh, they should seize this opportunity.
Hockey woes
Well, it's official. The NHL season has now hit the skids as of Wednesday. Multi-millionaire players and multi-millionaire owners are bickering over who gets what share of the pie.
Some owners insist they are actually losing money. The league wants a salary cap.
Fans, the very people whose support is needed for the game to survive, could be left out in the cold without a single NHL game to watch this winter.
With the uncompromising stances assumed by the team owners and players' union, and with ticket prices already out of reach for many middle class families, the average Canadian may penalize the NHL more than two minutes in the sin bin.
This love affair may be heading for a game misconduct or a lengthy suspension.
A study of bison sightings along Highway 3 was conducted during the past two summers. Incorrect information was printed in Yellowknifer Sept. 10.