Belleville Youth Justice Committee

Mandate: To repair harm done by young person to person harmed.
The Belleville Youth Justice Committee is an alternative to the court system, helps reduce waiting time and gives the community a chance to problem solve with respect to criminal activities.

What is the Belleville Youth Justice Committee?
The Belleville Youth Justice Committee is comprised of a group of community minded volunteers who have been carefully selected and trained to deal with young people who have come into conflict with the law for the first time.

Who is eligible to apply?
Young people charged with an offence must meet certain criteria. The young person must:· Be a first time offender
· Be between the ages of 12 to 17 inclusive at the time of the offence
· Reside in Belleville
· Have committed an offence in Belleville
· Be willing to take responsibility for the offence and want to make amends by completing   directed sanctions
· Have a parent or other responsible adult who agrees to participate in the process

What offences are eligible?· Theft under $5000.00
· Possession under $5000.00
· False pretenses
· False statement
· Food fraud
· Accommodation fraud
· Fraud under $5000.00
· Mischief under $5000.00
· Cause disturbance

How does it work?
The young person, accompanied by a parent/guardian, will make a court appearance at which time eligibility for the program will be considered. Once accepted, the young person and parent/guardian will be referred to the Belleville Youth Justice Committee.The young person and parent/guardian will be contacted by a committee member and advised of the date, time and location of the meeting where they will meet with members of the Belleville Youth Justice Committee. The victim of the offence will also be invited to attend and participate.Everyone present will have the opportunity to express his or her opinions and concerns regarding the offence(s). This will:· Help the young person better understand their motivation in committing his or her offence.
· Help the young person better understand the effect of the offence on the victim.After hearing from all parties, the Belleville Youth Justice Committee will determine the sanctions to be performed by the young person and the time limits involved in doing so.

What are the possible sanctions?· MANDATORY APOLOGY TO THE VICTIM

Additional sanctions may include:
· personal service work for the victim
· compensation to the victim
· essay
· donation to charity
· community service work
· educational session
· crime prevention poster
· curfew

What will happen if the sanctions are not completed satisfactorily?
Most young people will be eager to complete their measures as quickly as possible and to the best of their abilities. Occasionally, this will not be the case and the young person will be referred back to the court for prosecution.

Will the young person have a record?
No. The charge will be stayed by the crown attorney. As a result, there will be no youth court or criminal record once the sanctions have been completed satisfactorily.

The following support and participate in the Belleville Youth Justice Committee:
· Ministry of the Attorney General
· Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services
· Ministry of Public Safety and Security
· Belleville Police Service

For more information, please contact:Community Oriented Sentencing Program (Quinte)
121 Dundas Street East, Suite 206
Belleville, ON K8N 1C3Contact: Michelle Stratton
Email: info@cosp.ca
Phone: 613-966-7410
Fax: 613-966-7411

Links:

Community Oriented Sentencing Program

City of Belleville
Ontario East - The City of Belleville