Community court start date picked
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Updated: June 26, 2009 1:09 AM
The local group pushing for creation of a community court in Kelowna have set a target date for the start of a pilot project here—April 1, 2010.
But, despite the target date— April Fools Day—the group’s members are not fooling themselves into thinking there still is not a great deal of work to be done to convince the province to allow it to happen.
“We still have to meet with the (acting) head judge of the provincial court and then go to the government to put forth a business case,” said RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon. He co-chairs the community court steering committee with Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd and Kelowna Court Watch president Leigh Campbell.
The court, which would deal with sentences for repeat offenders of summery conviction crimes (crimes with regular sentences of no more than six months jail time), would deliver a mixture of what Campbell called punishment and help.
Many of the repeat offenders that local police officers regularly deal with have mental health or addiction problems and part of the sentences would be to get help for the person from the appropriate social service.
Shelley Cook of the John Howard Society, a member of the steering committee, said her organization already has a funded position, with four workers, that could co-ordinate the community court program.
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