The Kwanlin Dün Justice Program is delivered under the umbrella of the KDFN Health Department.
The Justice Program assists individuals who have come in conflict with the law to exercise their responsibility in a respectful way to the individual(s) and community who have been harmed by their actions. Through its programs and services, the department attempts to reconcile and repair relationship(s) and to equip individuals with the tools that will help them to avoid unhealthy behaviours and assist them in making healthier life choices.
The Kwanlin Dün Justice Program offers alternative processes to assist victims who have been affected by crime, violence or harmful behavior to reclaim their personal power.
Kwanlin Dün Council is pleased to re-establish the Community Justice Program.
The KDFN council recognized that citizens saw value in the way the previous Social Justice Program assisted families and individuals navigate through the justice system.However, the council was concerned that not enough attention has been previously paid to the victims of crime.
KDFN Council believes it has an obligation to help people work out their conflicts with the the legal system. The Council also recognized there is an equal need to help individuals who have been harmed by the misconduct of others. The council hopes that by re-establishing the Community Justice Program, which is operated under the Health Department that it will be able to strike this balance.
KDFN Council is seeking advice from the community in planning the services and support that the Justice office will provide. As a first step, Sharon Shorty facilitated a community meeting on March 12th. Citizens attending the meeting had many suggestions on how the program should operate and on ways to improve safety in the community. Many people had useful suggestions including Kwanlin Dün elder Kathleen Shorty who said, "Social justice is when the whole community solves the problems that come up within the community."
Many people mentioned community-based solutions. One elder suggested following the clan system, whereby one clan compensates the other for damages inflicted by its clan members. Other suggestions included establishing security patrols and circle courts, and having the RCMP office open from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The Community Justice Program is located at # 7 O'Brien Road. Anyone needing advice or assistance is welcome to contact the Justice office at 867-633-7850.
In May, the KDFN Health, Justice, Community Wellness and Daycare Staff as well as two community JPs attended training in Restorative Justice Principles, Practices and Implementation. The training was provided by trainer, Val Binder from YTG's Restorative Community Conferencing Program.
The training was well received by the group, many of whom plan on going on to take the facilitation training in October. The participants of the training were also able to take part in a Talking Circle that was incorporated into the training. The Talking Circle involved two youth and their parents who took part in the circle along with other stakeholders such as the RCMP, a teacher and the housing manager. In the Talking Circle, the two youth took responsibility for vandalism that they had caused to a KDFN building. As part of their agreement, the youth agreed to repair the building they had damaged and to complete other work that was identified by the participants of the Talking Circle. The participants of the restorative justice training were quite moved by the Talking Circle and its outcome. Everyone, including the youth and their parents, seemed to be satisfied with the Talking Circle and what it had accomplished.
The staff of Health, Justice, Community Wellness and Ashea Daycare recently (June 24th and 25th) participated in the one-and-a half-day Little Warriors child sexual abuse training. Little Warriors is an Edmonton, Alberta based organization that provides training to educate the public on child sexual abuse. The training was aimed at educating the staff about the signs to look for with children and how to assist children who have been sexually abused. Thirteen people including two teachers, an RCMP officer and KDFN staff received a facilitator's certificate in Sexual Abuse Prevention Training. Some of the staff hope to use this training to train KDFN community members in the prevention of sexual abuse.
