Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

2006 Category 2: Canada
Europe and North America
Canada
2006 Category 2 Winner
The Domestic Violence Front-End Project
The Provincial Court of Manitoba, Canada
Description
Bringing justice to all citizens in an appropriate and timely manner.
The Problem
The criminal justice system of the Provincial Courts was ineffective, costly and
overburdened. In cases involving allegations of domestic violence, it took on average
19 months from the time a defendant made his/her first court appearance until
the date of the trial. The Provincial Court of Manitoba faced the challenge of introducing
changes to its system in order to improve the quality of services and increase
their efficiency.
The Solution
In 1993, the Winnipeg Police Service implemented mandatory arrests in cases of
domestic violence as a result of a new policy aimed at ending violence against women
and others who found themselves in an abusive relationship. This resulted in a
dramatic increase in the number of domestic violence cases in the Provincial Court
system, and the delay in processing these cases became a significant problem.
In 2003, the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court implemented the Domestic Violence
Front End Project. The Chief Judge formed a consultation committee across organisational
borders to determine how the system could be run more efficiently and more
effectively. The consultation committee involved the judiciary, the Crown prosecution,
legal aid, defense bar, senior court personnel, victim services and the Winnipeg
Police Services.
This innovative project promotes public understanding of the system, reduces the
number of court appearances and the time necessary for processing charges. The first
phase of the project focused on defendants held in custody for domestic violence
charges. By March 2004, the project expanded to include defendants who were out
of custody. As a result, the number of cases brought to court has been cut in half even
though the total number of cases has remained constant.
In February 2004, there were 2,861 charges for domestic violence, and by the following
year, that number was reduced to 1,263.
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