Whereas restorative justice is an alternative to the formal court process for certain criminal offences that enhances victim satisfaction while also encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions and provide direct restitution to repair the harm they have caused; And whereas the success rates of restorative justice processes are higher than that of traditional criminal justice that result in significant cost savings while providing a valuable service to the Province of British Columbia but receive minimal, ongoing funding from the Province: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government to implement a stable, long-term funding source for Restorative Justice Programs.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Government of British Columbia is committed to enhancing the use of Restorative Justice RJ in the province; however this work is going to take some time. Staff from across governments justice and public safety sector have begun working together to explore opportunities for enhancing RJ across B.C. using a strategic, integrated, cross-sector approach. The Ministry is committed to ensuring that the approach taken is community-driven and informed. Ministry staff are currently engaging with key leaders in B.C.s RJ community to inform the development of potential opportunities for enhancing RJ in B.C. and to promote greater collaboration and dialogue about RJ. In addition to the stakeholder engagement processes currently underway, project staff have undertaken the following activities: -Established a cross-ministry working group to guide discussion to explore opportunities for enhancing RJ in B.C.; -Completed an extensive annotated bibliography and literature review; and -Completed a discussion paper that is guiding and informing consultations with restorative justice stakeholders and justice partners. The Ministry encourages organizations that deliver restorative justice programs to review the 201819 Crime Prevention and Remediation Grants call for proposals, in particular, the restorative justice stream.