When offenders face their victims

Keith Vass writes about the pioneering Nova Scotia restorative justice program, in the Halifax Daily News. He describes a case where a young woman and the owner of property she damaged work out how she can make amends for what she has done, once she has personally taken responsibility for the act and offered apology to the person harmed.

People who work in the program say it can turn around troubled kids, who can atone for what they've done and be left, in many cases, without the stigma of a criminal record. But they warn that growing caseloads - and especially increasing use of the program for serious crimes - may start to detract from the program's promise.

In 2005-06, 668 cases were referred to restorative justice in Halifax Regional Municipality. Province-wide there were 1,619 referrals that year.

The program is credited for a drastic drop in the number of youth cases before Nova Scotia's courts. In 1998, the year before the program was launched, 2,569 youth cases were tried in the province. By 2003 the number was down to 1,706.

Nova Scotia was the first province to create a province-wide restorative justice program for young offenders. It's become a model for initiatives in other parts of Canada and around the world.

When a case is referred to restorative justice, it's handed to one of nine regional community-justice agencies to arrange meetings between offenders and victims. Victims are given the chance to describe how the crime has affected them and to work out how the offender can repair the harm.

The Community Justice Society handles referrals in Halifax. Executive director Yvonne Atwell says 88 per cent of young offenders who go through its program complete the agreements made with their victims.Victims and offenders can reach any agreement they see fit, but written apologies and community service are the most common options. Offenders are also often asked to make restitution payments or charitable donations.

If offenders live up to the agreement, charges will be dropped. If they don't, they'll find themselves back in court facing prosecution.