Justice Reform Initiatives ~ Early Solutions, Faster Justice

Criminal Justice Reform

B.C.'s justice system is being transformed to address delays, high costs, unwieldy processes and social pressures so that it can respond in ways that are timely, meaningful and effective for everyone involved.

The Criminal Justice Reform Secretariat was formed jointly in 2007 with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Ministry of Children and Family Development to lead the development and implementation of provincial crime reduction and prevention strategies. Key to the strategies is taking a problem-solving approach, with integration of services and case management to hold offenders accountable more quickly and effectively. This may mean trying to help offenders deal with the problems that got them into the system in the first place, such as homelessness, addiction or mental illness. Those cases that need to involve the court or jail will do so, but we will make sure they are dealt with in a timely way.

One example is the community court now operating in downtown Vancouver. Another example is the prolific offender management project being piloted in six British Columbia communities.

More information about criminal justice reform initiatives is available on the Criminal Justice Reform website.