Community Justice Society - Halifax Nova Scotia

Who We Are
The Community Justice Society of Halifax/Dartmouth is a community based society working in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, community based organizations, volunteers and the general public in administering Restorative Justice Programming to youth at risk for youth aged 12 to 17.

What We do
Through the administration of the Restorative Justice program, youth at risk are held accountable for their actions and are responsible for repairing the harm they have caused to their victims and their community. Specifically this is done by allowing the offender to make amends through a face-to-face meeting with the victim and community members allowing the offender to:

Take responsibility for their actions in a safe environment that stresses accountability;
Be an active participant in determining how they will begin to repair the harm done to the victim and the community affected;
Hear first hand how their behaviour has impacted real people in real terms;
Ask for help with problems that may have contributed to the wrongdoing.

Who We work With
Prior to entering the Restorative Justice process the young offender must meet strict eligibility criteria. All seven criteria must be met:

The individual’s referral must be consistent with the protection of society.
The referral is appropriate with regard to the interests of the offender, victim and community.
The individual accepts responsibility for his/her actions.
The offender has to be informed of, and consents freely and fully, to participation in the Program.
The offender has been advised of his/her right to counsel without delay and is given a reasonable opportunity to retain and instruct counsel.
There is sufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution of the offense.
Prosecution of the offense is not barred by law.

Requirements
Young offenders can be referred to the Community Justice Society by various entry points in the judicial system:

Police Entry Point (pre-charge) - referral by police officers from any of the following agencies: Halifax Regional Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Military Police
Crown Entry Point (post-charge/pre-conviction) – referral by Crown Attorneys
Court Entry Point (post-conviction/pre-sentence) – referral by Judges
Corrections Entry Point (post sentence) – referral by Correctional Services or Victims’ Services staff.

Should a young offender not meet all seven requirements, their offence will be adjudicated through the Nova Scotia judicial process rather than the Restorative Justice program.

Once the offender has met all seven criteria, only then will they proceed with the program. Once entered into the Restorative Justice Program the victim is given an opportunity to face the young offender whereby the young offender is held accountable for his/her actions by the victim and the community.

Our Process
The victim plays an integral role within the Restorative Justice process. Through their participation, the victim is provided a safe and supportive environment to express their feelings and seek restitution. Victims who choose to participate are given the opportunity to participate in a “talking circle”; a conversation which is guided by trained facilitators and attended by the youth, the victim and their respective support people as well as justice and community participants as appropriate. The “talking circle” provides victims with the opportunity to ask questions and understand why the harm was perpetrated. Most importantly, the process allows victims to have a say in what needs to be done to make things right whether they choose to attend or not.

Creating Change
In recent years, public confidence in our justice system has been declining and there is a feeling that offenders are not held accountable for their actions. Within the Restorative Justice Process, the offender is held accountable but the victim is also recognized as having very distinct needs such as:

The opportunity to have a voice in the process and the chance to talk about their experience;
To have their experience, feelings, concerns and suffering acknowledged and to receive restitution; and
To gain some understanding of the offender’s motivation for committing the offence.

The ultimate objective of restorative justice is to help all parties develop a better understanding of the harm, of each other, and of the steps needed to make things right. The meeting concludes with an agreement outlining how the offender will repair the harm caused by the offence. The process culminates in a restorative justice agreement between outlining how the person responsible can make things right. In 2006-2007, 88% of the youth referred for restorative justice in the province successfully completed their Restorative Justice Agreement.