Criminal Justice Reform Projects
The Criminal Justice Reform Secretariat was formed in 2007 by the ministries of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Children and Family Development (youth justice) to modernize the criminal justice system.
The goal is to achieve a criminal justice system in B.C. that is accessible, responsive and timely.
The secretariat is designing and implementing pilot projects that aim to:
- bring crime down;
- manage prolific offenders more closely; and
- make the criminal justice process more timely and efficient.
Each pilot project will be evaluated and the results will guide decisions on the next phase of criminal justice reform.
The secretariat uses an evidence-based approach to identify and design pilot projects. It looks to examples around the world that have proven successful in preventing or reducing crime and that can be adapted for B.C.
Pilot projects currently being led or developed by the secretariat include:
- Vancouver's Downtown Community Court, which takes a problem-solving approach to crime. It does so by addressing the underlying health and social problems that often lead to criminal behaviour, by responding in a timely manner, and by involving the community;
- the prolific offender management pilot, which focuses on the 10 per cent of the offenders who commit 50 per cent of crimes;
- the bail reform project, which aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the current bail process;
- community crime prevention pilots, which seek to reduce the involvement of young people in crime by providing them social support, nurturing environments, and other resources that keep them safe.
