Community Accountability Programs Information ... - Ministry of Justice

After the process is complete, the board decides on appropriate reparationmeasures. An agreement is then drawn up that the offender is expected tofulfil. A panel member is chosen to act as a mentor for the offender andensure that the terms of the agreement are completed. Once the agreementhas been fulfilled, a final meeting takes place between the panel and theoffender. At this meeting the panel congratulates the offender forcompleting the agreement and making amends. The meeting also brings theincident to a close and assures the offender of his or her continuedmembership in the community.With volunteers acting as mentors for offenders, this model encourages ahigh degree of community participation and commitment. Note, however,that while “justice committees and panels almost certainly embrace theaims of restorative justice … they fall short of the practice of restorativejustice when panel members make decisions on behalf of the victim,offender, and the community most closely affected by a crime.” 1 Includingall parties (victim, offender, and the community) increases the restorativenature of this model.Staying true to the vision of restorative justiceThe Province of BC does not endorse any particular restorative justicemodel but supports the adoption of restorative approaches as a generalobjective. If your community decides to develop its program along the linesof one model, you may incorporate elements from other models that meetyour community’s needs.Regardless of the model you select, keep in mind the key elements thatdefine restorative justice programs. Asking yourself the following questionswill help you express the essence of restorative justice: 2• Who has been hurt?• What are their needs?• Whose obligations are these?1 Susan Sharpe. Restorative Justice: A Vision for Healing and Change. Edmonton: EdmontonVictim Offender Mediation Services, 1998, p. 38.2 Howard Zehr. The Little Book of Restorative Justice. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2002,p. 38.Restorative Justice: Promoting Community-Based Responses to Crime 12