COMMUNITY COURT MAKING A DIFFERENCE

VANCOUVER – Canada’s first community court is making progress in using a problem-solving approach to quickly assess and direct offenders to services meant to address the causes of their criminal behaviour.

“Getting people out of the cycle of crime and connected with treatment, information and health services such as psychiatric assessments or medications is one of the key goals of the community court,” said Attorney General Wally Oppal. “These initial results are very promising and show that collaboration can work well in providing the court with timely information to make sentencing and treatment decisions and address the rehabilitation of the accused.”

“It is still very early going, but the approach looks to be effective and efficient in addressing the complex needs of offenders, who often face multiple challenges,” he added.

Between Sept. 10 and Dec. 31, Vancouver’s Downtown Community Court dealt with 658 individuals. Of these, 449 resolved their court cases, meaning they were either found guilty and sentenced or their case was concluded after completing community service. The community court expects to see about 1,500 offenders annually.

Oppal credited the court’s early successes to the work of Judges Tom Gove and David Pendleton, Crown prosecutors, the staff lawyer who represents offenders and community corrections, police, court staff and health and social services partners. “It’s the collaborative approach that distinguishes this court from more traditional courts. Everyone working in the court is committed to making the model work and making a difference in the community.”

“While it’s early to gauge the long-term influence of the court on accused, we are seeing some encouraging results,” said Chief Judge Hugh Stansfield. “The community service being completed by offenders is already having direct benefits in the community. We will be in a better position to gauge the overall effects when the court is evaluated.”

Community service is often part of the intervention plans and focuses on reconnecting offenders with their neighbourhood. It can involve such activities as removing graffiti or helping out at community agencies. The court has contributed approximately 1,285 hours of community service to downtown Vancouver businesses and community agencies. The services have a value of approximately $10,280.

Interest in the court has been far ranging, Oppal said. “We have hosted delegations from across the province, Alberta, Ontario, Washington State, China, Russia and Australia.”

The downtown community court is located at 211 Gore Ave., in the former Vancouver pre-trial centre. The catchment or geographic area of the court is downtown Vancouver from Clark Drive on the east to Stanley Park on the west, with Great Northern Way as the southern boundary and the Inner Harbour and Coal Harbour as the northern boundary.

The pilot was developed jointly by the Provincial Court, Ministry of Attorney General and many other partners. Information on the community court is available at: www.communitycourt.bc.ca.

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Dave Townsend Senior Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Attorney General 250 387-4962 250 889-5945 (cell)

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