RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Do You Believe In Second Chances?
Halifax Community Chaplaincy (HCC) is looking for volunteers to support the work of the Community Chaplain and also for a program new to Halifax called Circles of Support and Accountability ( CoSA). Both programs are rooted in the principles of Restorative Justice which address the needs of the victim, the community and the offender. Trained volunteers will work with the Community Chaplain to provide a visible and active pastoral presence in the community to offenders, ex-offenders, their families and the staff of Correctional Services of Canada (CSC).
Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) is a community-based reintegration program where trained volunteers assist released offenders who are deemed at high risk to reoffend, in their effort to re-enter society. These ex-offenders, referred to as Core Members, go through a rigorous application process to be included in the program and must demonstrate a strong commitment to not reoffending. A “Circle” involves a group of three to four screened and trained volunteers who commit themselves to befriend, support and hold accountable a former sex offender who, because he is held to the end of his sentence, is returning to the community with little or no support available to him and often with much media attention. Circles help the Core Member establish a stable lifestyle and model positive, pro-social lifestyles. Existing research (Wilson, Cortoni and McWhinnie,2009) suggests that sexual reoffending rates for men who participate in CoSA are 80% lower than for men who do not participate in CoSA. Significant reductions in all other types of reoffending has also been observed. Today there are 16 CoSA sites across Canada.
Both HCC and CoSa are looking for volunteers from all walks of life who want to help offenders and ex-offenders adjust to a responsible and safe community life and who believe in the dignity of all members of our communities. Please join us on September 22 at 7pm at Faith Tabernacle, 6225 Summit Street,
Halifax for an information
evening on both programs. We also invite you to contact us, Sister Pat Wilson, Community Chaplain at (902)426.2565, and Shirley Dixon, CoSA Project Coordinator at (902)492.0569.
Dates for Restorative Justice week for 2010 are set for:
November 14-21, 2010
with the theme:
Reflexions Past, Present and Future
Information will be coming soon at:
http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rj/rj2010/lett-eng.shtml
What is Restorative Justice? Check it out here:
http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rj/bckgrndr-eng.shtml
For more information, contact:
Patricia Wilson, SC
WilsonPAT@CSC-SCC.GC.CA
Halifax Community Chaplain
2131 Gottingen Street Suite 102
Halifax, NS
B3K 5Z7
Phone: 902-426-2565
Fax: 902-426-6579
