Community Justice
Community Justice Committees are made up of local volunteers who are interested in justice issues in their community and have a desire to help youth and adult offenders take responsibility for their actions, making the community a safer place to live. Members of the Justice Committee are appointed under the NWT Youth Justice Act and communities have a paid coordinator in place to assist in the administration of committee functions. You can read more on the appointment process here.
Restorative justice in the NWT is achieved by using alternative measures. By using alternative measures, criminal matters are diverted by the Police or Crown away from the traditional court system and are handled in the community by the Justice Committee. The offender does not get a criminal record by this process. Restorative justice can be defined as: “a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offence and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible” (Howard Zehr).
The following documents will explain in detail what alternative measures are and how a case goes through the alternative measures/restorative justice process.
- Restorative Justice Information Pamphlet
- Restorative Justice Powerpoint Presentation
- Extra-Judicial Measures in the NWT
Accessing Funding
Information for Coordinators
To get in touch with a Justice Committee, please refer to the Justice Committee Directory. For more information on restorative justice programs in the NWT, please call 867-873-7002.
Last updated: January 2009
