Aside from the schedule of 2 p.m. every second Monday, there are not a lot of items set in stone for the new community wellness court option.

Rather, the procedure will take an individual approach for each case in how long it will take to deal with, what treatment options will be available and other details in the matter.

'There's no cookie-cutter approach, no template,' Shauna Curtin, director of court services, told a press conference this morning inside the courthouse.

For one person, treatment could be up to a year, while for others it could be longer.

The court option was announced last year. While it had originally been set to begin last fall, Curtin explained that to make sure people knew about the option and could decide if that's how they wanted to proceed, it was pushed ahead to the spring.

The option is aimed at offenders who are continually in and out of jail.

To be eligible to go through community wellness court, offenders must accept responsibility, show a personal readiness to deal with some of the root issues involved in their criminal activity and meet legal eligibility.

Information about the court would be given to defence lawyers. If their client is interested in the option, they would be assessed and a treatment program would be developed specifically to meet the offender's needs.

'The first time that they appear before the court, they simply would be indicating a willingness to be considered for the court,' Curtin said.

After making a decision to participate and agreeing to accept accountability for the offence, the accused would then be subject to a personal assessment through community justice and public safety to determine suitability, she explained.

Following that, the offender would begin a treatment plan designed to his or her personal circumstances with a case worker.

Exact monitoring through the treatment would depend on each case. Drug and alcohol tests for example, may be part of one person's treatment if addiction is a factor in the root causes of the crime.

Participants would also be required to report 'frequently' to court about how they are doing through their treatment, though again the exact amount of reporting would depend on the individual case.

'Court could call upon you to report weekly,' Curtin said.

Sentencing for the crime would not occur until after the treatment portion is complete.

The program is being funded to the tune of $609,000 annually, with $200,000 coming from the federal government and the remainder from the territory.

'This court is an initiative of the Yukon Substance Abuse Action Plan,' Justice Minister Marian Horne told the press conference.

'The community wellness court is designed to break the cycle of substance abuse and recidivism (repeat offenders) by providing a court-managed, therapeutic alternative to the regular court process.'

Described by Horne as the first program in a community the size of Whitehorse that recognizes offenders may have multiple problems which contribute to bringing them before the court, she noted offenders will be given help in overcoming the 'root causes' of their crimes.

Case workers will consult with a number of groups and committees to come up with the proper treatment for each of their clients, Horne said.

The program will be reviewed every two years to gauge its success.

'We are committed to making our communities safer,' Horne said.

While the court was set to sit this afternoon, as of this morning, there were no cases on the schedule to be heard.