City council has approved another three years of restorative justice for low-risk offenders in Richmond.
Touchstone Family Association has been providing a restorative justice program and a youth intervention program in Richmond since 2008.
In 2024, there were 16 referrals to the restorative justice program which included 20 offenders in total, according to statistics provided by the city in a report to the community safety committee.
Some of the referrals came from retail stores, such as Gap, London Drugs, TD, Sephora and Old Navy.
According to the Richmond RCMP, the recidivism rate (reoffending within five years) for those who go through the restorative justice program is about 11 per cent. In other words, 89 per cent didn’t reoffend within five years after going through the program.
This compares to a 51-per-cent recidivism rate for youth who received a community sentence, according to the Ministry of Children and Family Development. (Statistics were collected from 2013 to 2017.)
In 2024, 14 people completed a resolution agreement in Richmond after going through the restorative justice program with Touchstone.
The program is for low-risk offenders who admit guilt.
The aim is to divert them from the judicial system, "which is often seen as retributive and focused on determining guilt,” according to a city staff report.
“In contrast, the RJ program holds offenders accountable for their actions while enabling the victim and offender to reach a resolution,” the report added.
The process involves families of the victim and the offender, and any property or business owners who are affected.
City staff didn’t recommend a competitive procurement process for the program, given the “close operational integration between Touchstone and the Richmond RCMP Detachment.”
The three-year contract is for about $110,000 per year.
The Touchstone contract was approved unanimously by Richmond city council, and will be on the agenda for a final vote at an upcoming city council meeting.
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