The Salvation Army seeks the restoration of people, not the criminalization. That’s why correctional and justice services in the Ontario Great Lakes Division offers diversion programs to help people avoid criminal records or prison time.

“A few Christmases ago, a woman was trying to get a parking space outside a mall when a man in another car cut in front of her and took the space she assumed was hers. The woman was so angry and upset that she got out of her car and scratched his vehicle with her keys,” says Julia Parker, executive director of The Salvation Army’s CJS in Huron, Elgin and Perth Counties. “When the case went to court, the Crown recognized that she was a 45-year-old woman who was a mother, a wife and an employed person with no criminal record. Understanding that the woman had made a lapse in judgment, and not wanting to give her a criminal record, the Crown attorney called us and asked if there was anything we could offer to resolve this situation. This led us to establish our Adult Diversion program.”

The Adult Diversion program is utilized by the courts when first-time offenders enter the justice system. Rather than sentence them to probation or prison time, the Crown refers them to The Salvation Army. The offender goes through a process where they accept responsibility for their actions, explore ways to atone for their crime (such as repairing damages and apologizing to the victim) and participate in counselling and training for areas of weakness (such as anger management). After this process, the Crown reviews the situation and determines whether to drop the charges or to proceed with the court case.

“We also have a Youth Justice Committee program,” says Parker, “which allows the community a say in what happens to young people when they are arrested and sent to court for first-time, non-violent offences. Within this program, the victim, the young person, a community volunteer and our Salvation Army co-ordinator meet in a circle to discuss what happened and what should be done to try to repair the harm and come to terms with the issue.”

If young persons offer suitable restitution for their offences and make positive lifestyle adjustments, the police or Crown will often drop the criminal charges. This could mean the difference between a new start or life in the criminal justice system.

Bottom photo: Youth Justice Committee volunteers are sworn in by the Crown attorney