SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There was a graduation ceremony of a different kind in Yellowknife last Thursday.

Five men were spared jail time after their successful completion of programming under the NWT's Domestic Violence Treatment Option (DVTO) court, which gives offenders the opportunity to attend counselling sessions as a way to avoid jail time.

All five men were convicted of domestic violence charges by Territorial Court Judge Robert Gorin after they pleaded guilty to their offences, which is a requirement of acceptance into the program.

Yellowknifer has chosen not to publish the names of the men so as to not identify their victims. They ranged in age from 21- to 53-years old

Their offences varied widely. One man pleaded guilty to choking, slapping and pushing his partner into a wall, causing her to bleed profusely – all in front of their four-month-old child. That man had served about three weeks in pre-trial custody.

Another man admitted he was guilty of pushing his partner into a wall, opening a cut that required stitches.

A third man admitted he smashed a window and a door with a skateboard at his girlfriend's home. He was convicted of mischief and ordered to pay her almost $2,300 in restitution for the damage done to her home.

Another offender conceded he had grabbed his partner around the collar. She was not injured.

The program requires the offender attend at least eight counselling sessions to deal with the root causes of their domestic violence.

Before sentencing, Judge Gorin asked all the men what they learned in counselling. Almost all admitted alcohol played a role in their violent behaviour. Most of them said they had learned what had triggered their anger and violence and had learned coping skills in order to overcome their emotions without resorting to violence.

"I learned that it is better to have a time-out agreement with my partner, take a break and then revisit the issue that was making us angry in the first place," one man told the judge.

Gorin made it clear to the offenders he was not downplaying the seriousness of their crimes, including the fact that several of the violent acts had occurred with children in the room.

At the same time, he said he had read their case-worker reports and acknowledged their enthusiastic participation and completion of the program.

"It is one of the things I find admirable in the First Nations culture," Gorin said. "That they do believe that they are capable of changes in their lives."

There were some family members in the courtroom for the sentencing.

One woman filed a victim impact statement even though all of the victims were entitled to do so. It was not read out in court, which was her preference.

In some cases, the victims did not want restraining orders against their partners. Some of them told Crown prosecutor Marc Lecorre they only wanted contact with their partners if the men were sober. Lecorre prosecuted all five cases while lawyer Alanhea Vogt represented all five defendants. Both of them were in full agreement of the sentences handed down by Gorin.

Two of the men were given absolute discharges, two were given conditional discharges while the fifth was given a suspended sentence. He was warned that if he did not abide by conditions imposed by the court, he would be brought back to court and could then be sent back to jail.

According to Darin Strain, manager of specialized courts for the Department of Justice, about 80 men and women have successfully completed the programming in DVTO court since it began about five years ago.

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