PACT heads for Brampton
Posted by Stephen Rhodes
Rotarian David Lockett, co-founder and president of PACT, asked our club to help support the introduction of this successful program to reduce youth crime in Brampton last Monday.
David and his partner Dan Cornacchia,also founding members of the Parkdale Rotary Club in 1987, have been successfully running the program out of the Scarborough, Ontario, Youth Court. It just finished its first full year in operation and preliminary tracking numbers show a reduction in the young offender re-offense rate by 90 per cent.
PACT is a program designed to decrease the burden on the courts, while dramatically reducing youth crime. It does so by positively changing the behavioural patterns of young offenders who have been charged and convicted of both violent and non-violent criminal acts.
PACT also models, creates and implements superior community work programs for young offenders. The PACT program reduces the young offender re-offence rate by 90 per cent.
David talked about the myths about young offenders:
Myth 1 -- the system is soft. Fact: Canada has one of the harshest young offender systems in the western world.
Myth 2 -- victims are well served. FACT: The victims are left to deal with the trauma of the crime and are frustrated by the system.
The Costs of Youth Crime Fact:The direct financial costs paid for by the system and the community out of the taxpayer's pocket related to the offender, the annual closed custody cost of one young offender $80,000!
PACT is a three-stage all encompassing program that helps all young offenders, including serious cases. The stages are as follows:
Phase 1 - The resolution conference Inspired by a model developed in the Australian aboriginal community, a dialogue is initiated between the victim, offender, family, community and police, leading to a binding resolution agreement.
Phase 2 - Specialized counseling Offered to re-offenders and the most seriously traumatized victims.
Phase 3 - Coaching and mentoring This level of the program is geared towards the most serious repeat young offenders and is used in situations that require ongoing help after the young person is found guilty.
"PACT is about making young offenders take responsibility for their crimes, taking strain off the justice system and empowering victims," said David "The program has matured in its first full year to a point where it is ready to expand as a social franchiseâ¿¢ to other youth courts across the province and country."
For more information visit www.pactprogram.ca
PACT is a program designed to decrease the burden on the courts, while dramatically reducing youth crime. It does so by positively changing the behavioural patterns of young offenders who have been charged and convicted of both violent and non-violent criminal acts.
PACT also models, creates and implements superior community work programs for young offenders. The PACT program reduces the young offender re-offence rate by 90 per cent.
David talked about the myths about young offenders:
Myth 1 -- the system is soft. Fact: Canada has one of the harshest young offender systems in the western world.
Myth 2 -- victims are well served. FACT: The victims are left to deal with the trauma of the crime and are frustrated by the system.
The Costs of Youth Crime Fact:The direct financial costs paid for by the system and the community out of the taxpayer's pocket related to the offender, the annual closed custody cost of one young offender $80,000!
PACT is a three-stage all encompassing program that helps all young offenders, including serious cases. The stages are as follows:
Phase 1 - The resolution conference Inspired by a model developed in the Australian aboriginal community, a dialogue is initiated between the victim, offender, family, community and police, leading to a binding resolution agreement.
Phase 2 - Specialized counseling Offered to re-offenders and the most seriously traumatized victims.
Phase 3 - Coaching and mentoring This level of the program is geared towards the most serious repeat young offenders and is used in situations that require ongoing help after the young person is found guilty.
"PACT is about making young offenders take responsibility for their crimes, taking strain off the justice system and empowering victims," said David "The program has matured in its first full year to a point where it is ready to expand as a social franchiseâ¿¢ to other youth courts across the province and country."
For more information visit www.pactprogram.ca