Community Accountability Programs Information ... - Ministry of Justice

• The offender must accept responsibility for the act or omission of theoffence.• The offender does not express the wish to have any charges dealt withby the court.• An agent of the Attorney General (Crown counsel) is satisfied that suchmeasures would be appropriate, considering the needs of the offenderand the interests of society and the victim.The legislation also stipulates that, if a person who has been dealt with byalternative measures fails to comply with the terms of those measures, thecase may be returned to court for prosecution of the original offence.Most alternative measures programs are provided through CorrectionsBranch service contracts and, for young offenders, by youth probationofficers with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.In summary, there are two methods for holding a person accountable for anoffence outside of the court process:Also known asInformal resolutionCommunity AccountabilityProgramsInitiated by Police CrownFormal resolutionAlternative MeasuresAt the Pre-charge stage Post-charge stageOffenders areWarned, cautioned, or referredto a Community AccountabilityProgramUsed for Usually Category 3 and 4offences onlyReferred to an accredited programor probation officerCrown has discretion over whattypes of offences can be referredNon-compliance No recourse for non-compliance Cases can be returned to courtYCJA applicationRepresents the informal rangeof responses referred to as“extrajudicial measures”Represents the most formal typeof extrajudicial measure; referredto as “extrajudicial sanctions”Guidelines for Working with Victims and Offenders 27