Restorative Justice dealt with 34 cases, 31 agreements in 2023

May 15, 2024 | 5:30 AM

Restorative Justice had a busy year mediating meetings and fostering agreements in 2023.

The program, run through the Canadian Mental Health Association Vernon and District branch (CMHA Vernon), coordinates meetings between the victims and perpetrators of small local crimes, and tries to get the parties to come to an agreement outside of the courts.

A semi-annual update on the program was presented to Vernon city council at the regular meeting Monday, May 13.

“For 2023, there were 34 referrals received that generated 31 agreements,” Margaret Clark, Restorative Justice’s representative, told council.

“To date, 26 of those are closed with 96 per cent full compliance.”

Event Cancelled

Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival cancelled after nearly 30 years

18h ago

Flood Hazards

Requests for proposals open for Water Reclamation bridge project

18h ago

Fire spreads to house

Vernon home "significantly damaged" by grass fire

Apr 02, 2026

Clark noted the purpose of the program is to meet the needs of the person or business affected by the crime, while also providing a “meaningful process to the person who caused the harm to be held accountable and to support them in fulfilling their agreements.”

Data from CMHA Vernon showed the cases in Vernon, including 17 involving theft under $5,000, marked an increase from 2022’s figure of 14 referrals, though it was noted those cases resulted in 27 agreements.

Clark explained that the referrals in 2022 generated more agreements as the majority of cases involved more than one accused person, whereas 2023’s referrals generally involved just one perpetrator per case.

Data provided during Monday’s meeting also showed that “full compliance” to agreements had increased from 2019’s figure of near 75 per cent to 2023’s rate of 96 per cent, while non-compliance and partial compliance rates have both been on the decline.

Council accepted the report for information at Monday’s meeting.

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Mayor Victor Cumming said the program is a valuable one to have in place.

“For us, we recognize it as a very good program, and it’s a very good program both for perpetrators as well as victims,” Cumming said, adding the rising number of referrals is not a concern.

“We’re glad that more people are seeing this alternative to the in-depth court system.”

The mayor noted there would likely need to be a “significant, many-fold increase” in cases in order to take pressure off the justice system, but said “each [referral] is a valuable experience both for those who have committed the crime as well as those who have been harmed.”

by Liam Verster

View Comments