NSNDP

July 30th, 2018

Statement from Claudia Chender in support of restorative justice workers

HALIFAX-- NDP Justice Spokesperson Claudia Chender made the following statement today in support of Halifax restorative justice workers:

“The expansion of our Restorative Justice program cannot actually be carried out without investments in the people who do this important work. In expanding Restorative Justice, the Liberal government has more than doubled the workload of Community Justice Workers with no increase in staffing levels or compensation. Without additional funding from the government workers have been forced into a strike. Restorative justice is an important part of our justice system. It allows both victims and those who caused harm to have their voices heard and come to a solution. This is important and necessary work and deserves to be supported in the same way we support the work of the traditional justice system.”

The Restorative Justice program has been available for youth in Nova Scotia since the early 2000s. In November 2016, the program was expanded to adult offenders, but the government provided no additional resources for this expansion. The Liberal government’s failure to increase resources in keeping with the increase in workload has led to a 100 per cent turnover rate in staff.

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