Objective
The objective of the Tyendinaga Justice Circle is to return to a traditional form of justice. This process can be recognized as a pro-active strategy to empower the community to regain their perspective roles of respect. The enhancement of these strategies and proposed partnership would create a joint resolution to repair the impact to the community and reduce or eliminate future inappropriate conduct to the community. The outcomes from this suggest that many individuals may ponder on their actions, as they will be accountable to society of the community for their repercussions of their actions. Through community awareness, the Community Justice Forum believes the initiative of the program will be a pro-active step in providing awareness for crime prevention.
Mandate
The mandate of the Tyendinaga Justice Circle:
To work cooperatively with each other, all individuals and communities, to ensure that all Community Justice Forums are completed fairly, without bias, always remembering the objective that negative behaviour is to be rejected, not the wrongdoer. In order to facilitate reparation and reintegration, all forums will be held in a timely manner, with the safety for all parties and confidentiality of all information ensured. All facilitators will conduct themselves in a caring and understanding manner at all tines, mindful of the circumstances of the individuals involved.
Introduction
Tyendinaga Justice Circle is a new alternative to the current justice system, with a focus on youth. This group consists of community members who have taken the initiative to become involved. Not to be confused with the "Sentencing Circle", the forum brings together victims, offenders and their supporters in a safe, controlled environment "to discuss the offence and its effect and to jointly decide how to right the wrong that has been done.
The following is a basic introduction to the Tyendinaga Justice Circle (TJC):
It is an alternative to the current justice system. No "professional" individuals are involved in the process.
It benefits the victim(s), the offender(s), their supporters, and the community in which they live.
Certified Community Volunteers facilitate the forum.
These forums are often referred to as Community Justice Forums (CJF), or "Family Group Conferences".
Volunteers are trained and certified by the RCMP.
The benefits of such forums are; low cost, timeliness, chance to have your voice heard, forum support, closure and healing, to name a few. While a court case may take months to come to a "conclusion", a Justice Forum can be completed within a much shorter time period. Families, community, and victims appreciate the timeliness of these forums. One reason this approach works well is because participants have more current memory of the incident. Participants appreciate the private, controlled atmosphere of the forum, as well as the fact that all information is held in strict confidence. All facilitators have been trained in, and accredited for, Community Justice Forum facilitation. Click Here to meet Tyendinaga Justice Circle's facilitators! (Page is still under construction)
Steps
Here are the basic steps:
