A Community Court will soon relaunch in Kelowna

Photo: Colin Dacre

Work is underway to bring a community court to Kelowna. 

The rollout of a community court, also known as an integrated court, was a key recommendation from former Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon’s 2018 crime reduction report.

“A lot has changed in Kelowna since the previous community court,” said the Honourable Geoffrey Barrow, co-chair of the Committee. “It’s taken time to ensure there are enough support services in place and resources to ensure success of the model.” 

The concept will as often as possible have the same judge, prosecutor, probation officer, and care agency staff in the court.

The end goal is to mesh justice, health and social services in an effort to address the root causes of criminal behaviour such as substance use, mental health issues or housing challenges.

The court is designed to be better informed of the offenders individual circumstances, provide sentences with a higher prospect of rehabilitation and more closely monitor compliance with community supervision orders.

“The goal of an integrated community court is to address gaps in the traditional court approach for people whose interactions with the criminal justice system are a result of their substance use, mental health or housing challenges,” said Barrow. “The court seeks to do that by connecting individuals with the supports they need in the community and by monitoring their circumstances while they are subject to community supervision.”

The John Howard Society is a major supporter of the bringing the idea back to Kelowna. The previous community court closed in 2012.

“Community court aims to achieve better outcomes for both people interfacing with the criminal system due to their individual vulnerabilities as well as the broader community through a more restorative approach to justice,” John Howard Society executive director Patricia Bacon said. “By helping people lead healthier, more stable lives, the development of the community court represents another step to introduce measures to prevent homelessness in the first place.”

The court will focus primarily on offenders struggling with addiction, living with mental health issues or experiencing homelessness.

The local advisory committee will start work with the Province and stakeholders as concept now moves from a proposal stage, to an operational model. An actual date for the relaunch has not been provided.