Often in life, there are good ideas from good people with good intentions that simply don’t work out.
That’s certainly not the case with the South Okanagan-Similkameen Restorative Justice Program.
Formed in 2006 in Penticton, the program was designed to keep mainly young offenders out of jail and on the road to rehabilitation by paying penance for their criminal behaviour by meeting face-to-face with the victims of their crimes.
By accepting responsibility for their actions, agreeing to meet with victims and taking steps to apologize and other corrective action, the offenders don’t receive a criminal conviction.
Only those offenders who are deemed by police, social workers and community agencies to be solid candidates for rehabilitation are recommended for acceptance into the program.
The victims get to voice their frustration and, yes sometimes anger, at the offenders for the harm they have caused, while also being allowed to make suggestions on how to repair the damage done.
Those suggestions can range from demanding a letter of apology, requesting community service hours or insisting the offender take proactive steps to repair property they may have damaged.
More than a decade after the program began in Penticton – it started roughly a year later in Osoyoos and Oliver – the success rate has been phenomenal, says program community policing co-ordinator Mark Provencal.
The vast majority of young offenders who go through the restorative justice program not only learn a valuable life lesson, but also don’t reoffend, said Provencal.
Having victims of crime meet directly with offenders who have stolen property or caused harm allows those victims to have a voice, which is something that doesn’t regularly happen in Canada’s criminal justice system.
Keeping young people who have made a stupid mistake from the stigma of acquiring a criminal conviction and/or from spending time behind bars is also beneficial in too many ways to count.
The reality is there are a lot of young offenders who make a stupid mistake and end up on the wrong side of the law.
Throwing them in jail for stealing a candy bar or someone’s bike simply isn’t the way to go.
There are some offenders, especially violent ones, who need to be taken away to protect society, but these are not the kind of people who are recommended for acceptance into the restorative justice program.
A close examination of the statistics from the South Okanagan – and all across Canada – have shown restorative justice is a concept that has proven to be wonderfully successful in almost all jurisdictions.
To commemorate National Restorative Justice Week in Canada, Provencal will be in Osoyoos next Tuesday, Nov. 21 to discuss the program and its history, beginning at 7 p.m. in Room 1 at the Sonora Community Centre.
Anyone who is interested in hearing about a program that has helped turn around the lives of many young offenders, while allowing victims of crime to finally be part of the criminal justice system, are welcome to show up.
