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Justice committee ready for referrals John Dempster takes on full-time co-ordinator positionDanielle Sachs Northern News Services Published Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012
John Dempster, the new co-ordinator, moved to Inuvik with his family in July. The Inuvik Justice Committee gives the community more of a say in what kind of restitution is necessary for a crime. An offender can get involved in community service instead of paying a fine. "It's all based on restorative justice," said Dempster. "The victims and the community can get more out of it and at the end, if it's successful, everyone seems satisfied." For first time offenders, the Inuvik Justice Committee aims to keep individuals out of the criminal justice system. By involving them in alternative options, they don't end up with a criminal record and there's no fine to pay. Dempster said someone had been covering the referrals before he arrived, but the job hadn't been filled full-time since May. He saw the ad for the position on the rolling channel, but decided to move to Inuvik before he knew whether he'd be employed or not. "Our friends were asking 'What are you even going to do up there?'" said Dempster. Dempster was a police officer in Ontario for 10 years and said he was looking for a bit of a change. "I wanted to work with the rehabilitative side of the law," he said. "I thought it was a more fulfilling position." The position with the Inuvik Justice Committee gave Dempster the opportunity he was looking for. They take referrals from the RCMP and from the courts to work out alternatives to fines and jail time for certain offenders. "Mainly it's first time offenders, either youth or adult," said Dempster. "These minor offences, things like theft, vandalism and minor damage. Usually nothing that involves violence."
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