Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

19 Referrals, 5 Agreements

Referrals up but agreements down in local Restorative Justice program

Nov 14, 2024 | 12:29 PM

Vernon is set to have a record high number of referrals to the Restorative Justice program.

A report from the Vernon and District branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association shows there were 19 cases referred and accepted to the program that sees perpetrators and victims of crime meet to resolve disputes outside of court.

Between January 1 and June 30 of 2024, 53 per cent of cases were Theft Under $5,000 with the rest classified as “Other” and consisting of a range of activities from Assault With A Weapon to Uttering Forged Documents to Mischief Over $5,000, Specific details or numbers for those cases were not provided.

If the referral trend continues, the program would be on track to surpass the previous record high of 34 cases reviewed outside of court in 2023.

However, only five of those cases had been resolved with agreements between the parties with 100 per cent full compliance.

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Comparatively, 2023 saw 29 agreements made by the end of June, though Margaret Clark, Manager of Restorative Justice for CMHA Vernon, told Vernon City Council that some cases involved multiple perpetrators and/or victims and required more than one agreement.

Clark added that there had been another 11 referrals made since the end of June, though could not say if they would have 100 per cent compliance rates at the time.

“In the process of reaching an agreement, our primary goal remains the same and this is to meet the needs of the person and/or the business harmed, and to provide a meaningful process with the person who caused the harm that holds them accountable and supports them in fulfilling their agreement,” Clark stated.

“For person’s affected, [the goal] is to re-establish a coexistence within their community, whether it is receiving an actual service and/or if it’s at a location in particular.”

The program was launched in 2006 and since then had served nearly 2,700 people through 432 referrals and 466 agreements. Over that nearly two-decade period, CMHA Vernon said the full compliance rate was 82 per cent, with Clark noting some cases would never be resolved because people moved or passed away.

Council accepted the report for information.