Cover graphic: It is our hope that an emerging experience of satisfying justice, as symbolized through the wholeness of circle, will steadily gain ground over the bars of imprisonment. This compendium is dedicated to the memory of Joan Stothard who died of cancer October 26, 1995. She believed deeply in the need for satisfying justice.

Foreword

I was delighted that the Church Council on Justice and Corrections agreed to take on the challenge of compiling a listing of community-based responses to crime; the Correctional Service of Canada has been happy to assist with the costs involved.

Many, maybe most people, agree that, in principle, non-violent offenders should be handled in the community and not sent to prison. However, there is clearly skepticism as to whether effective sanctions can be designed for, and delivered in, the community (skepticism that claims by heroic inference that imprisonment is an effective sanction for these low-risk offenders!).

This compilation should help people to understand that there are a variety of programs in existence, some more successful than others. There is no magical formula that can meet the needs of all communities, but if the compilation provokes creative approaches and a good proportion indeed reach the objectives set for them, we will have made progress.

John Edwards
Commissioner
Correctional Service of Canada

Contents

A selection of initiatives that attempt to repair harm from crime, attend to related needs and avoid or significantly reduce the use of custody

A selection of initiatives that attempt to repair harm from crime and attend to related needs, with some implications for the reduced use or length of custody

A selection of initiatives that attempt to avoid the use of custody, with or without some reparative elements

A selection of initiatives that attempt to reduce the length of custody by alleviating the enforcement of imprisonment