A court dealing exclusively with domestic violence cases will open in Sydney this week.

The court is the first of its kind in Nova Scotia and justice officials are promising quicker access to resolution of domestic abuse cases and quicker access to programs aimed at changing the behaviour of those who commit abuse.

Justice Minister Ross Landry tells News 95.7 the focus is on preventing abuse, rather than punishing the abusers.

“If we build more jails we could certainly fill them, but we want to change our mindset from that type of mentality to more of a caring, crime-preventative approach,” said Landry.

Landry said some of the issues which will be dealt with by the court are mental health issues, which he says don’t necessarily belong in the typical court system.

“We could address the underlying cause there, and get the appropriate treatment, maybe this individual will be stable within their family structure,” said Landry.

But Landry said this court is not meant to allow those who commit abuse to get away with it. In order to access the programs, individuals must plead guilty.

The provincial coordinator of Transition House of Nova Scotia says the specialized court has the advantage of getting cases to court more quickly than the current system.

“Often we’ll find if there’s been a charge laid that by the time the case reaches the court system, things have changed, the relationship has changed. Perhaps the victim in the case no longer wants to testify,” Pamela Harrison told the Rick Howe Show, Monday.

Harrison says the court will also offer specialized support and counseling to any accused who pleads guilty in hopes of addressing the root causes of abuse.

“Unless they’ve been in touch with services, such as men’s intervention program, or the woman has been in touch with our services, very little is going on beside the court system itself,” said Harrison. “What we’re trying to do now is provide that kind of education support and understanding so men can take accountability and change their behaviour.”

The court is operating as a two-year pilot program and will sit one day a week, on Thursdays.