'You have my full support' -- Terry Scott
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 25/01) - Staff Sgt. Terry Scott believes in restorative justice. The RCMP's commander of the Yellowknife detachment saw it work well in the northern Saskatchewan community of Black Lake when he was stationed there.
What's more, Scott thinks the program has the potential to greatly improve the administration of justice here.
"Our crime load is really high," Scott told a meeting of the committee Monday evening.
The 20-member group, composed of prosecutors, defence lawyers, social workers, penal rights groups like the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies, and ordinary citizens has just begun to have cases moved their way by police and prosecutors.
Restorative Justice initiatives have existed in the North since 1994, but Yellowknife's foray into the system has proceeded in fits and starts over the last year and a half.
At that time, a committee had been formed here, but disbanded. The new committee just began taking on cases last month.
Restorative justice involves diverting offenders from the court system into a parallel system. In such a system, an offender can be given the choice of entering the restorative justice system, or electing to go through the regular courts.
According to Guenther Laube, Manager of Policing and Community Justice Programs for the territorial department of justice, "the whole idea is to look at alternative ways of dealing with crime problems in the community."
In order to qualify for the program, an offender first must accept responsibility for their actions. The committee then can place a series of requirements on the offender, ranging from making restitution to a victim, community service, or taking anger management courses.
"Your imagination is the only thing that's restricting you," Sgt. Al McCambridge told the committee.
"It's a really exciting program," Scott says.
By diverting first time and minor offenders from what he calls "the mill" of the courts system, he hopes that "as many as 50 cases" will be diverted from the courts.
