Ottawa police make pre-charge diversion program permanent
Ottawa's police force says a temporary initiative that redirected adults charged with minor crimes out of the justice system and toward support services instead will be made permanent.
On Wednesday, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) announced the creation of its new adult pre-charge diversion (APCD) unit.
Its launch comes on the heels of a one-year pilot that began late last year.
Since October 2022, more than 200 people have been referred to agencies such as the Elizabeth Fry Society or the John Howard Society through the program, mostly for offences including assault, theft under $5,000 and mischief, OPS said in a news release.
It's intended to give people facing charges a chance to address why they committed the offence, while also holding them accountable and taking victims' wishes into account, OPS said.
"The goal is to help them and to stop the offending behaviour," said Sgt. Stephanie Guilbeault, the APCD's project lead, in an interview with CBC.
Offenders might be asked to write letters of apology to their victims or perform community service, Guilbeault said. Some of the services they might receive include anger management therapy, and addictions or mental health counselling.
Empowering change
If officers come across offenders who may be eligible for the program, they can ask the unit to decide if they meet the criteria.
Those who are deemed eligible are then connected with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa, which will decide on sanctions or if any social or public health services should be offered, OPS said.
The program also offers services for Inuit, First Nations and Métis offenders through restorative justice programs.
"You empower the individual to make changes in their life," said Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, community justice co-ordinator with the Odawa Native Friendship Centre, which was also part of the pilot project.
Research has shown that less punitive approaches can reduce the likelihood of someone re-offending, Marsolais-Nahwegahbow said.
"If you look at it in one way, it's to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people within the judicial system, within the court system and within the jail system," he said.
The initiative is also being used as a model for other Ontario police forces, OPS said.
