Community Accountability Programs Information ... - Ministry of Justice

Defining your community also involves identifying your “justice partners” –the justice agencies, resources, and programs already in place in yourcommunity. For example, what organizations provide services for victims,offenders, and their families? Invite these groups to join or assist you. Askthem to identify gaps in their ability to provide assistance, and exploreways to work with or build on existing services. This will help ensure thatyour program does not duplicate existing resources.GATHERING INFORMATIONKeeping in mind the guidelines for accepting referrals (see page 15),determine what your community’s concerns are. The following questionsmay help:• What types of offences are committed in your community?• How many youth and adult offenders are there?• What are the demographics of your community?• What justice resources are available?• What gaps exist in the way justice is being served in your community?• How are victims supported?• How do justice system agencies and your community relate to oneanother?There are several ways to begin answering these questions:• Review reports on police statistics, victimization, public safety, crimeprevention, and other issues.• Do some research on Community Accountability Programs.• Consult the police for information on local crime problems.• If you are not already familiar with the types of crime that occur in yourcommunity, attend court proceedings to gain a better understanding.• Ask community members about their perceptions of crime and whatcan be done about it.ANALYZING THE INFORMATIONWhen you have gathered enough information, analyze it. Examine factorssuch as the nature of the harm caused to victims, the types of offenders,Getting Started 30