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Partnership, Innovation and Awards > Pilot Projects Funded to Date
Pilot Projects Funded to Date
Through the Youth Justice Renewal Fund, innovative features of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) are being
tested. Results from the projects will be available to assist individuals and organizations across the country in determining how and
whether to implement similar projects.
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Extrajudicial Measures
| Project:
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Alternatives Project
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| Jurisdiction:
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Toronto, Ontario
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| Highlights:
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Operation Springboard's Alternatives Project is a community-based sentencing option for Phase II young offenders who are likely facing a custodial sentence. The objective of the project is to identify and recommend appropriate community-based sanctions that are available to the young person in a manner that will minimize the possibility of future criminal acts. This is an accountable community sentencing option (i.e., probation) for approximately 80 custody-bound, non-violent young offenders. Youth are referred to the project by the Federal Crown and defence counsel.
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| Project: |
Restoring Justice in Rural Communities |
| Jurisdiction: |
Chipman, Minto, Doaktown, Boiestown, Grand Lake and Cole Island, New Brunswick
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| Highlights:
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Chipman Community Care's Restoring Justice in Rural Communities program recognizes the uniqueness of
rural communities and understands that the solutions implemented in urban areas do not always meet the needs of rural youth. The
program provides three options for intervening with youth, and includes police cautions, cautions and conferences and
restorative justice. This program serves as an alternative to the formal justice system for youth that have come in conflict
with the criminal justice system. Using a restorative justice model, the community will deal with youth in conflict with the
law through a process of responsibility, resolution, restitution, and reconciliation; in this way community harmony will be
maintained and the root causes of crime targeted.
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| Project: |
Project Jeunes Squeegees Montréalais |
| Jurisdiction: |
Montreal, Quebec |
| Highlights: |
The Spectre de Rue Inc. project targets "squeegee" youth aged 15–18 who are
unemployed, out of school and at-risk of offending or have come in conflict with the law. If the youth is in conflict with the
law, alternative ways for dealing with the youth are explored. A job bank has been created that has been adapted to the needs
of these youth and offers ways in which they can find gainful employment.
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| Project: |
Community Youth Justice Partnership |
| Jurisdiction: |
Whitehorse, Yukon |
| Highlights: |
The Yukon Health and Social Services' Community Youth Justice Partnership is a youth justice panel
that reviews all young offender charges laid by the RCMP in the pilot project area, to determine the most suitable option.
Options include Crown cautions, extrajudicial sanctions, referrals to appropriate social agencies and, where appropriate,
alternatives to remand. Members of the panel include Health and Social Services staff, RCMP, a Crown attorney, defence counsel;
Family and Children Services supervisor, a victim services representative and two members from each Youth Justice committee
serving the community. The project will give youth and their families the opportunity to appear before the Panel to express their
views on how the charge should be processed. |
| Project: |
Crown Caution/Pre-Charge Screening Programs |
| Jurisdiction: |
Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Highlights: |
The Public Prosecution Service of Nova Scotia will implement, on a test basis, a Pre-Charge
Screening program and a Crown Caution program. The Pre-Charge Screening program handles non-violent property offences of a
relatively minor nature such as mischief and theft and the Crown Cautioning program handles minor assaults, in addition to
mischief and theft.
The purpose of these programs is to allow youths to have consequences attached to their behaviour, while not penalizing them in a
disproportionate way. The programs allow for the examination and discussion of a youth's behaviour by caregivers and service
providers without attaching long-term criminal stigma to his/her behaviour in the community. This provides for intervention
without the necessity of severe criminal sanctions and allows the courts to be reserved for the most serious youth offenders.
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| Project: |
Early Intervention Program for Youth (12–17) |
| Jurisdiction: |
Ottawa, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
The John Howard Society's Early Intervention Program provides intensive intervention for medium to
high-need youth, aged 12–17, who have committed an offence. The program targets youths who have committed a serious offence,
have a history of repeat criminal behaviour, have demonstrated pro-criminal attitudes, have anger management problems, and/or
problem-solving difficulties. Youths are referred by assistant Crown Attorneys, probation officers, defence counsel or police,
as well as community agencies. Most often, an admission of responsibility through a guilty plea is a prerequisite to the
referral. The youth will then contact the John Howard Society to arrange an initial interview to identify issues that may have
contributed to the offence. Once an evaluation is completed, and working together with the parents and the youth, a level of
intervention is determined. During subsequent interviews, an individualized service plan is developed for the youth.
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Pre-trial Detention
| Project: |
An Independent Evaluation of the Saskatoon Judicial Interim Release Program |
| Jurisdiction: |
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Highlights: |
The Department of Sociology of the University of Saskatchewan will evaluate the Saskatoon Judicial
Interim Release Program. This is an innovative project that assists youth in returning to their family and community and provides
supervision as required to allow youth to be released rather than held in custody. The evaluation by the researchers will
determine the program's strengths and weaknesses in order to fine-tune the existing program and provide information for the
implementation of similar programs in other jurisdictions across Canada.
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Sentencing
| Project: |
Crown Cautioning for Eligible Drug Offences |
| Jurisdiction: |
Toronto, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
Operation Springboard's Crown Cautioning for Eligible Drug Offences is a pre-charge diversion
program. In cases where there are reasonable grounds to lay a drug-related charge, and in lieu of charging, the Toronto Police
will refer information to the Federal Prosecutors. Once the prosecutors have reviewed the information, a formal letter is written
to the youth and their families indicating that charges will not be laid while providing a strong warning about involvement in
any future related incidents. The caution letter also provides educational information about the available services and
counselling for drug usage and other problem areas. The program also accepts referrals from the Crown where it is believed that
more intervention is required and assists in delivering quick, flexible access to needed programs and services.
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| Project: |
Calgary Community Conferencing |
| Jurisdiction: |
Calgary, Alberta |
| Highlights: |
The Mennonite Central Committee's Calgary Community Conferencing project brings together young
offenders, their victims and their respective families and supporters and any other key people affected by the conflict and
relevant community members to find solutions beneficial to all. The project provides meaningful interventions for young people
involved in criminal behaviour and offers opportunities for healing and reconciliation for victims, families and the larger
community. Referrals come from Youth Court following a guilty plea and these referrals target more serious offenders who are
likely to receive a custodial sentence. Referrals also come from schools as an extrajudicial measure and target serious
incidents where the student is likely to be suspended and/or criminally charged. The Community Conference provides the youth
court judges with alternatives to custody, the police and Crown with alternatives to laying and proceeding with criminal
charges and school administrators with alternatives to formal suspensions.
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| Project: |
Attendance Program |
| Jurisdiction: |
Toronto, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
Operation Springboard's Attendance Program is for Phase II youth and provides youth court judges
with an accountable and effective community-based alternative for approximately 120 youth who are in conflict with the law, 45
youth between the ages of 16 and 17 who would otherwise be custody bound, and 75 youth with conditions of probation and/or a
Plan of Care that requires an attendance order. As part of a probation order, youth are required to spend a specific number of
hours under close supervision, during potentially high-risk periods. The goal of this program is to redirect young offenders
from open or closed custody dispositions to a community-based attendance program to enable community reintegration and offender
accountability.
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| Project: |
Collaborative Justice Project |
| Jurisdiction: |
Ottawa, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
The Church Council on Justice and Corrections' Collaborative Justice Project accepts cases where
the criminal behaviour of the young person would normally result in a significant period of incarceration and where the young
person is willing to take responsibility for the harm done. The Collaborative Justice Project provides support to the accused
young person as well as the victim by providing opportunities for an admission of responsibility, information about the criminal
justice process and the offence, as well as an opportunity for the accused young person and victim to meet. The Project also
provides the victim with a voice in the court sentence and personal healing and closure. Cases can be referred by judges, Crown
Attorneys, defence counsel, police or probation officers.
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| Project: |
Youth Court Support Worker Project |
| Jurisdiction: |
Sydney, Nova Scotia |
| Highlights: |
The Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission's Youth Court Support Worker Project provides for two Youth
Court Workers/paralegals to work closely with staff lawyers employed with the Commission. The Youth Court Workers secure bail
arrangements that meet with the court's approval, plan dispositions appropriate to the young person's circumstances and work with
the young person after sentencing to secure ongoing services and counselling, that are part of the court's disposition. The
objective of the project is to enhance the range and quality of services provided to young persons in conflict with the law and
assist the young person in understanding the court process. In addition, the project will assist youth in better accessing
services in the community so that the potential for further involvement in the criminal justice system is minimized.
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Custody and Reintegration
| Project: |
Building Bridges Project |
| Jurisdiction: |
Sydney, Nova Scotia |
| Highlights: |
The Island Community Justice Society's Building Bridges project is designed to incorporate a
community role during pre-custody, custody and reintegration of a youth into the community. This is done, with the help of
trained volunteers, by providing court orientation, parent and youth support groups, reintegration services and liaison support
during custody and remand.
Court orientation prepares youths and their families so that appearing in court is a less alienating experience. Youth who are
remanded to custody, and their families are assisted by trained volunteers for ongoing support throughout the period of
incarceration. There is regular contact with the youth through letters, acknowledgement of special occasions and arranging for
family visits. In addition, there is a one-on-one volunteer match with the youth, a support planning team that develops an action
plan for his or her successful reintegration and includes all the parties involved in the youth's case. There is also a referral
to the Island Community Justice Society's Restorative Justice Program to allow the youth to make things right with those he/she
harmed as a result of the crime. For the family, there is a family support group and links to services to help plan for the
youth's return.
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| Project: |
Second Chance |
| Jurisdiction: |
York Region, Toronto, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
Second Chance will work with approximately 36 youths who are at risk to provide them with the life
skills they need to turn their lives in a positive direction. This is a two-phased, multi-disciplinary, community-based program.
Emphasis is placed on attracting and accepting youth in need of community-based programs as part of discharge planning or who
are at risk of re-offending.
During the first 12-week segment, youth develop life-skills, assess their capabilities and attitudes, learn a technical skill or
craft, engage in pre-employment activities or prepare to return to school. The second segment involves a 9-week work placement.
In partnership with the Job Connect Program, Second Chance assists youth in finding employment, and in partnership with Ontario
Streams, provides youth with the opportunity to volunteer with community members on a variety of tasks including building dams,
clearing river beds and dead trees.
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| Project: |
Reintegration Support Program |
| Jurisdiction: |
Calgary, Alberta |
| Highlights: |
Enviros Wilderness School Association's Reintegration Support Program provides young girls in
conflict with the law with support services from the commencement of their involvement in custody through to their release and
community reintegration. The program provides an individual reintegration plan that incorporates an assessment of strengths and
target areas where community support is needed. A reintegration worker provides support and guidance throughout the custodial
period, working on the reintegration plan. Once the youth is released, she continues to meet with the reintegration worker who
makes necessary referrals, continues to provide one on one support, family support and group counselling. The reintegration
worker also acts as an advocate and ongoing support system while matching the girls with a volunteer or mentor where appropriate.
This support is continued as the girls move through the different stages of the reintegrative process and is there if the girls
are faced with the urge to become re-involved with drugs or alcohol or any other problems that put them at risk.
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| Project: |
Community Reintegration Project |
| Jurisdiction: |
Ottawa, Ontario |
| Highlights: |
The Youth Services Board (YSB) of Ottawa-Carleton's Community Reintegration Project offers a
reintegration program to a maximum of twenty youth in Phase I and Phase II custodial facilities. Through the development of
multi-disciplinary teams using a restorative justice approach, reintegration support is provided to the most high-risk, serious
young offenders being released from custody to enable the youth to address their criminal behaviour and reintegrate back into
school, work, and their community. Using the Wraparound Process (WP), a major alternative to the traditional treatment planning
process, innovative support services are provided during the critical period when youth return to the community.
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| Project: |
Youth for Youth Reintegration: A Model Development Project |
| Jurisdiction: |
National |
| Highlights: |
The National Youth in Care Network's Youth for Youth Reintegration project supports the
reintegration of youth from custody. It will develop effective models to reduce recidivism and support youth from custody,
particularly those who have limited personal support, educational or work opportunities and life skills. The project aims to
improve the quality of life for youth from custody by increasing their ability to participate in healthy relationships, social
events, and in the institutions that affect their lives. The project is divided into three phases which include: research and
development; pilot testing in four communities of the peer support team approach; and finally, evaluation of pilot testing that
includes examination of the transference of programs to other communities in Canada. This includes documentation of the best
practice model in a comprehensive "how to" peer support reintegration program implementation guide.
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