Yellowknife (Sep 08/04) - The parents of a troubled 14-year-old girl say there aren't enough programs in the NWT to help teens like their daughter.

"We're exhausted," the girl's mother said during a youth court appearance, Aug. 30. "We're frustrated with the system."

The woman's daughter was in court to plead guilty to seven breaches of probation -- including breaking curfew, skipping a counselling session, drinking alcohol and using her father's debit card to withdraw $800 -- all over the span of three weeks.

The girl was originally placed on probation Aug. 3, after she admitted to stealing her parent's car and leading police on a high-speed chase through downtown Yellowknife and out along the Ingraham Trail.

The provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevented the presiding judge at the time from sending the teen to a group home.

The teen also tried to commit suicide by taking pills and drinking alcohol, the court heard.

"She's a danger to herself," the girl's mother said.

Following an arrest earlier this summer, the teen spent time at the Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, which led to a marked improvement in her behaviour, her parents told judge Bernadette Schmaltz.

"She was a different person when she got out of the hospital," her father said.

But despite recommendations from two doctors who said the girl would benefit from close supervision, Schmaltz said the teen could not be sentenced to jail time.

"She'll be back here in no time," said her father. "We're just delaying the inevitable. She really needs secure treatment."

While Schmatlz said she empathized with the girl's parents, her hands were tied by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

"The law is a blunt tool," said judge Bernadette Schmatlz.

The girl's mother is frustrated .

"It seems like things just fall through the cracks," she said.