A year of success for Restorative Justice

In honuor of Restorative Justice week 2024, we wanted to share some highlights of the program’s successes here in the West Shore.

West Shore Restorative Justice is a program facilitated by volunteers with the West Shore RCMP. The primary mandate of the West Shore Restorative Justice Program is to facilitate Community Justice Forums where the accused take ownership of their actions and agree to reparations thereby diverting offenders away from criminal courts. Watch our video on Restorative Justice here.

From Jan-November 2024, West Shore RCMP referred 38 investigations to Restorative Justice. The vast majority of the offenders were arrested for theft under $5000. Restorative Justice Forums were held to decide how the offender could repair the harm. Here are some of the statistics from this years Restorative Justice forums:

• Out of the 38 investigations, 24 offenders were adults, 32 offenders were youth;
• Offender’s completed 408 community service hours;
• $900 in financial restitution was collected;
• Approximately $9422 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered and returned to the business/owner.

We are very proud of the work being done by West Shore Restorative Justice, said Randie Johal, Restorative Justice coordinator. This continues to be an effective tool in diverting first-time low risk offenders away form the criminal justice system.