The local Restorative Justice program operates out of People Place in downtown Vernon (file photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice handled child pornography cases in the past, referrals decline

Sep 16, 2025 | 5:25 PM

The service that attempts to remedy acts of crime outside of the court of law dealt with a significant file in 2023, though saw the number of cases decline in the following year.

Margaret Clark, Manager of Restorative Justice program in Vernon, presented Vernon City Council with an annual update on its operations Monday, Sept. 15.

In that presentation, it was noted that Restorative Justice handled a file related to Possession and/or Distribution of Child Pornography in 2023.

“These are youth, very young youth, who may not know and completely understand the implications,” Clark told City Council.

She added this was not the first child pornography file referred to Restorative Justice, and reaffirmed that the program’s intention is to address the harms caused by crimes, and is not involved in the court process.

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Speaking with Vernon Matters, Mayor Victor Cumming said this was a type of file that “raises concern,” but reiterated what Clark said about it not being the first child pornography case dealt with by Restorative Justice, and noting the people involved in the program are trained to deal with these and other serious files.

The child pornography case was one of 34 files referred to Restorative Justice in 2023, which Mayor Victor Cumming said was an anomaly as previous years saw the files numbering in or around the low-20s.

The report said the program saw referrals fall this past year, with 26 files in 2024. One of those was an assault and one was an assault with a weapon, while 15 were theft under $5,000, and the rest ranged from mischief to petty theft to using forged documents.

Of those files, 23 were resolved and resulted in 29 agreements being reached. Those agreements saw the perpetrators perform a number of tasks including writing letters of apology to the affected parties, paying back money in damages or contributing to a charity of choice, and performing community service work.

Since coming online in 2006, Restorative Justice has addressed 439 referrals, leading to 481 agreements. Those cases involved 1,354 people who were harmed and/or affected , 586 people who caused the harm, and 787 guardians and/or supporters.

The Restorative Justice program is run through the Vernon and District branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.