Beth Peterkin May 5, 2016
Our Board members are community volunteers from: Perth Drummond North Elmsley Beckwith Lanark Highlands Smiths Falls Tay Valley
Our community that embraces restorative practices to repair harm, build community and strengthen relationships.
To provide and promote the community use of restorative practices.
Incorporated in July 2000 Referrals pre-charge from the police services and post-charge from the Crown Attorney’s office Trained volunteer facilitators conduct Community Justice Forums with the offender and the complainant and their support people (2700 hours of volunteer time and 1600 person-hours of training)
LCCJP is one of 40 Youth Justice Sites (YJC’s) funded in part by the Ministry of the Attorney General for youth aged 12 to 17 years LCCJP accepts referrals of all age groups In a typical year about 30% of our referrals are persons aged 18 and over
Typical Offences: Vandalism Bullying Theft and Fraud Sexting and Voyeurism Break and Enter Mischief Possession of an Illegal Substance
Forums bring together all parties affected by an incident of crime or other harmful behavior in the community to have a respectful, structured discussion about what happened. Questions that are considered include: What happened? What harm was done? Who was affected? How can we repair the harm?
Stigma is permanent Little opportunity for repentance & forgiveness Dependent on professionals Strictly rational → fact finding Judge imposes sanctions Stigma is removed by action Repentance is encouraged, forgiveness is possible Direct involvement of those affected Allows free expression of thoughts & emotions Group resolves by consensus
Offence is against Crown (System) Focus is on guilt/blame Victim is marginalized Offender is passive (often observer) Offender is punished Response focuses on past behaviour Offence is against person(s) and community Focus is on repairing harm Victim(s) needs are met Offender is responsible for their actions. Offender works to understand & repair harm Response focuses on addressing consequences of behaviour
Community Justice less than 5% Criminal System 30% Time to Resolve a Case? Community Justice 30 to 90 days Criminal System average 9 months
Promote the use of restorative practices in the larger community Train other community groups in the use of restorative practices to resolve issues Partner with the OPP on collaborative programs such as the Situation Table
Priority Outcome: More children and youth have emotional and social strengths. Grant Result: Children and youth who are facing barriers develop strong emotional and social skills.
Youth will learn communication skills and will build self-esteem through the use of restorative approaches. Research has shown that by teaching young people to have a voice and empowering them to take responsibility for their actions, that they become more engaged learners and develop emotional literacy.
The commitment of different sectors to a common agenda for solving of a complex social problem To create lasting solutions to social problems on a large-scale, organizations need to coordinate their efforts and work together around a clearly defined goal. (Tamarack Institute)
LCCJP will train Team Leaders and volunteers to work with each school/youth centre in our serviced area under the lead of our Community Animator. LCCJP will partner with other agencies as appropriate so as not to duplicate services. LCCJP will work to develop a culture of restorative approaches in each school and youth centre.
22 elementary schools 7 high schools 2 private schools 4 alternative schools 1 college 4 youth centres = 13, 120 youth
Evaluation will form an important part of this project in order that we can measure success. Pre- and post-surveys will be conducted with our youth participants and also with our volunteers. Results and Best Practices will be shared with other jurisdictions.
LCCJP is asking you to be a Community Champion of this initiative. facebook.com/LanarkCountyCommunityJustice
Beth Peterkin Executive Director munityJustice