The John Howard Society's Restorative Justice program helps avert many cases from taking up valuable time and resources at the Nanaimo Court House. (file photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

a better way

Restorative Justice program celebrates more than two decades in Nanaimo

Mar 12, 2020 | 6:55 AM

NANAIMO — For more than 20 years a program has helped criminals reconcile with what they’ve done in a meaningful way.

The Restorative Justice program run by the Nanaimo branch of the John Howard Society works to keep people out of correctional centres. Instead of being sent to prison, those accepted by the program have to admit their guilt and talk through their actions in a group which includes the victims they hurt. The group then works together to decide how to best repair the damage caused.

It was started in 1998 by now-former RCMP officer Randy Munro, born out of efforts at his previous detachment to curb youth offenders and lower the risk of re-offending.

“I’ve talked to parents who had young people go through it and (heard) the success story of turning a young persons life around,” Munro told NanaimoNewsNOW. “Adults have gone through it that shouldn’t have been in the traditional process. They turned their lives around.”

The Restorative Justice program was officially sanctioned by the Crown in the 2000’s, meaning those appearing in court can be specifically referred into the program to ease the burden on the courts.

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Munro said he’s spoken to people from all over the world in his effort to bring a more compassionate and effective system in place.

“They couldn’t believe how small our community was…and yet how dynamic our program was.”

More than 4,000 people had passed through the process by the time Munro retired from the RCMP several years ago.

“That gives me great comfort and pride,” he said.

Given how the program works to help people avoid jail time, Munro said he often hears the Restorative Justice program is soft on crime.

“It’s not. In our current system, you have a victim sitting in court and person that harmed them doesn’t have to say anything. You have a victim impact statement that’s read into court but you don’t really have someone venting of how this has harmed them, so the person realizes the impact.”

Through Restorative Justice, Munro said the necessary conversations between victim and perpetrator happen at a very real and human level.

“There’s tears and apologies, the willingness to meet conditions. You don’t see that in the traditional court system.”

The Nanaimo branch of the John Howard Society runs several programs tackling crime through a Restorative Justice lens, including the renowned Gutherie House program.

Munro said he hopes to see the program expand even further.

“If it works I don’t see why it couldn’t work at a provincial and federal level,” he said. “I hope it would be sooner rather than later because of the success the program does have.”

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit