Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Lumby backs justice program

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Jul 13, 2016 at 1:00 AM— updated Jul 13, 2016 at 5:43 AM
Lumby could get behind a justice program. Council considered a request Monday from the Regional District of North Okanagan to form a funding service for restorative justice. “It’s a good program and worthy of support,” said Mayor Kevin Acton. “We agreed in principle to support it but we want to see what the funding formula would be.” Jurisdictions are being approached by RDNO to see if there is interest in funding a formal function, with the money going to the Restorative Justice Society. Presently, funds for the Restorative Justice Society come from the City of Vernon and the provincial government. Some grants come from other jurisdictions on an annual basis. Acton says beyond an RDNO service, individual jurisdictions could provide grants to the society. Through restorative justice, people who have committed an offence meet with the victim to talk about what happened and what can be done to correct the situation. If possible, it is a way for the offender to remain out of jail and turn their life around. “If a couple of teens make a mistake once, they could possibly have a record. This program allows them to make things right and not have a record, and the person harmed gets what they need to move on,” said Acton.

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