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Restorative Justice allows youth to see consequences of the crime

(by Brent Fox, The Advertiser, Kentville, N.S., Friday, July 2, 2004)

Restorative Justice works and finds success in various ways. That's he word from members of a panel discussion that took place at Valley Restorative Justice Society's recent annual general meeting.

The program brings young perpetrators and their victims together for an outcome that's beneficial for all, including the community.

Volunteer Barbara Graham became aware of the program when she read about it in a grocery lineup. She had been an educator and found the program a mean to remain positively connected to youth and to keep youths from being incarcerated. She has also worked with women before the courts.

"I remain with Valley Restorative Justice because I believe in it," Graham said.

It's one of the most meaningful things, she said, when a perpetrator meets with the victim. It's an opportunity to apologize, for redemption and restitution. It can help a young person avoid a criminal record and it can save society a large amount of money spent on traditional court and corrections processes.

Graham said that it can't work if the perpetrator doesn't attend the sessions, if the victim is ineffective, the case isn't followed up, there's no police involvement in the mediation, or if the remediation is lengthily and complicated.

She pointed out that "victims, offenders and volunteers make up a large part of the community." But society still looks for revenge, and it's frustrating that people don't know what does and doesn't work.

Placement supervisor Craig Burgess, who is with the Berwick recreation department, said that "every kid has potential. All we have to do is care."

Burgess pointed out, however, that some have to be introduced to the work ethic.

Community policing officer RCMP Cons. Les Kakonyi said it's really important for youth to see that full results of their actions. This includes understanding what the crime has done to their victim and the community.

In his first case of remediation, he saw a group of young people who had been smashing rural mail boxes meet their victims.

The young fellows were made aware of the fact that one elderly victim had been deprived of a connection to relative sand friends because of her mailbox being destroyed. A young couple told the offenders of how their small children were still afraid that their property would be attacked again.

"This one was extremely powerful," Kakonyi said. "The kids had no idea of how their actions affected people's lives."

He said, "young people go through so many changes in their lives and they're not held accountable."