Restorative justice program up and running

The Prince George RCMP’s restorative justice program has completed its first case.

A youth caught shoplifting from a local business must do community service work under an agreement between the perpetrator and the victim reached during a forum held Dec. 4.

The advantage for the perpetrator is there will be no criminal record as a consequence of committing an offence. For the victim, it’s a chance to confront the wrongdoer face-to-face.

“With the current justice system, the victim typically has no voice,” Prince George RCMP community policing co-ordinator Linda Parker said Friday.

“This process provides the victim not only with a voice but an opportunity to let the offender know how this has affected them personally.”

She said it also provides the offender with an opportunity to make things right.

“It finds a solution that repairs and promotes trust and harmony within the community,” Parker said.

Plenty more cases are on the list, Parker said, and they won’t focus strictly on youth.

“We will be handling adult cases as well,” Parker said. “However, they will be not be individuals with an extensive criminal background.

“They may be basic cases where the individual made a foolish mistake, whether they are a youth or an adult.”

The arresting officer and a volunteer facilitator whose gone through training for the program also sit in on the forums.

The program is meant to complement one run by the Prince George Urban Aboriginal Justice Society.

Parker said there will be another intake of volunteers in the new year. For more information, call community policing at 250561-3366 or drop by the Prince George RCMP detachment at 455 Victoria St.

This process provides the victim not only with a voice but an opportunity to let the offender know how this has affected them personally.