THE Law Foundation of British Columbia will be working with government to develop a plan to distribute $3 million in new funding for restorative justice in B.C.

The Province says it is committed to promoting restorative justice solutions to help victims and offenders achieve better justice outcomes, rooted in accountability and collaboration.

“Government knows how important restorative justice can be to people’s healing from harm and injustice, both for the victim and the offender,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, on Wednesday.

“Restorative justice processes can have a positive impact on our communities by improving public safety, empowering local communities to build awareness of the root causes of crime and helping to reduce recidivism by holding offenders accountable for their actions in a meaningful way.”

In B.C., community-based restorative justice and restorative approaches are provided through more than 83 community-based programs, including 52 community accountability programs and 31 Indigenous justice programs.

“Giving people the opportunity to take accountability for their crimes and make amends to their community can help reduce the cycle of incarceration,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “By investing in restorative justice programs that encourage healing and support long-lasting change, we can build a better justice system that works for more people.”

Jason Paterson, Executive Director of the Law Foundation of British Columbia, said: “Restorative justice processes can help repair harm in communities, increase safety, and help prevent future offences from occurring. They can increase meaningful access to the justice system for people whose voices are not always heard, including people who have been harmed, people who have committed harm, and their families and communities. The law foundation looks forward to working with the Province and key partners to help expand these programs in B.C.”

Additionally, government is continuing to take action at the provincial level to keep communities safe, including steps in the Safer Communities Action Plan to intervene early and expand supports for people at risk of interacting with police or entering the justice system.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime, call VictimLinkBC, a toll-free, confidential, multilingual telephone service available throughout B.C. and the Yukon 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 1 800 563-0808.

Quick Facts:

* The ministry continues to support restorative justice programming through the Civil Forfeiture Crime Prevention and Remediation Grant Program.

* Since 2017, the ministry has provided approximately $3.4 million to 125 community-based restorative justice projects to support work in the areas of capacity development, stakeholder engagement, awareness building and partnership development.

Learn More:

For more information about the Restorative Justice Association of British Columbia, visit: https://rjabc.ca/

For more information about the Law Foundation of British Columbia, visit: https://www.lawfoundationbc.org/