Community Members' Experiences and Responses to the Extra Judicial Measures Community Referral Pilot Program in Atlantic Canada
Date
2022-09
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Abstract
Restorative justice has become central to Canada’s responses to youth crime, especially under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which emphasizes significant alternative responses to the formal criminal justice system (Tomporowski et al., 2011). Restorative justice offers benefits that are argued to instill more robust cognitive transformation (i.e., a change in thinking about one’s actions in relation to a crime and the harm it caused particular parties and the wider community), and ultimately helps to instill safer communities and prevent crime (LeBel et al., 2008). In relation to youth crime in Canada, restorative justice plays a prominent role under the YCJA. Yet not all provinces have implemented restorative justice programs to the same degree. For this qualitative research, secondary sources were analyzed involving qualitative interviews with community volunteers who were part of a pilot Community Referral Program (CRP) that was implemented in Atlantic Canada in 2013. The tensions between formal and informal approaches to responding to crime are highlighted by the experiences of volunteers of the CRP, including community leaders, as well as how these tensions lead to role ambiguity and other obstacles. Shedding light on the experiences of volunteers, their challenges, and opportunities for improvement will help provide crucial knowledge to inform best practices going forward, and ultimately benefit all parties involved, as well as the wider community.
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youth crime, Youth Criminal Justice Act, qualitative research, extra judicial measures, rural Canada, restorative justice, formal/informal debate, role ambiguity
Citation
Yazdani, A. (2022). Community members' experiences and responses to the extra judicial measures Community Referral Pilot Program in Atlantic Canada (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.