Solutions to qathet’s surging crime situation: Restorative Justice

An end to surging crime: Part 3

BY PIETA WOOLLEY

Could restorative justice succeed where the courts are failing on crime?

Powell River doesn't have an alternative court system like Vancouver does. If you commit a crime in that City's core, you might get referred to the Downtown Community Court, or the Drug Treatment Court of Vancouver - both long-time triage for people who are committing crimes to feed their addictions.

Here, there's only criminal court. And, Restorative Justice - a separate, non-governmental, community-based structure to better restore relationships after a crime has been committed. Powell River sees between 250 and 400 criminal cases a year. Of those, between 4 and 8 make it to the RJ process.

"Not all cases are appropriate for restorative justice," said Siobhan Brown, the program coordinator for qathet Restorative Justice. "We have a robust screening process."

That screening rules out cases where there is a safety concern. The person who commits the crime must accept responsibility for it. And the victims must agree to being a part of the process. Siobhan notes that the group has never taken on a case involving mental health and addictions - but nothing prevents it.

"It's hard to make a blanket statement if RJ is appropriate for these kinds of cases," she said. "It really depends on the supports we have. I'm wary, as RJ does not alleviate poverty or take people out of addictions. There are a lot of things we cannot do. But it's looking into the face of the person you've stolen from or assaulted, and hearing how your actions impacted them. That's what stops reoffending. When you understand that what you do hurts people. It's a strong deterrent. However, RJ is not a magic wand."

And, it's important to point out, unlike Vancouver's alternative courts system, RJ has no core funding here. It exists on grants and volunteers.

"The joy of RJ is seeing everyone as a human," said Siobhan. It's not punitive. It's consequences. When you're face to face, it's so much easier to remember that they're humans."

An end to surging crime: Part 3

This article is the third in qathet Living magazine’s three-part series on crime in this region.

Part 1 explored the crimes themselves: what is happening, and what is the impact on this community?

Part 2 dived in to courts and corrections: how changes to our justice system are playing out locally.

Part 3 asks what those who are perpetrating the crimes need to be able to stop harming this community and themselves, and re-join society.

Note: In the January 2023 issue, we will run a special follow-up story on new approaches to toxic drug and addictions policy, as so much has emerged over the past month.

We hope these stories help inform the current conversation about crime, justice, addiction, and solutions. And, we hope to hear from you.

Please send letters (ideally before the 20th of the month) to isabelle@prliving.ca