Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am a strong advocate for restorative justice programming, as I believe that every time we can keep an offender from re-offending, it not only saves us money, but it prevents a victim from being traumatized once again. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice in regard to one specific program, the A New Day Program, which is for men who use domestic violence. My question to the Minister is: how many men are currently using this program?
Thank you, Member. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps, to be more specific, I can't answer the Member's number in terms of right now at this moment. I can say that, since this program started in 2013, there have been 13 groups in total. Of those, 135 individuals were registered; 28 have completed. The last group just completed back in November of this year, Mr. Speaker.
As we go into mandate creation, I will be advocating for a number of restorative justice programs to be included. However, this ultimately comes down to cost. Can the Minister provide the current costs in running a program, the A New Day program?
Mr. Speaker, the total budget for this program is $292,000. The current expenditures forecasted for 2019 and 2020 are $240,000, so that is where it stands at present.
This program for men who use domestic violence. Is there a tracking mechanism for measuring the success of the program?
Mr. Speaker, back in February of 2018, there was a framework developed to evaluate the program. That was more, I think, in terms of evaluating the success of the program as a whole as opposed to the individual success. I am sure the Member will appreciate, and, as he has already alluded to in his opening, the individual successes on a program like this will depend a lot on how exactly one measures not only recidivism but obviously the reducing of severity of violence and the frequency of violence, so it is a very complex thing to measure, and the success of one individual may differ from the success of another.
I don't currently have a copy, or, to my understanding, the actual evaluation hasn't taken place yet. That is a four-year program, an evaluation that is currently underway, and so it won't be due back until 2021, but we continue to monitor that framework evaluation as it unfolds. I look forward to having the total framework reported back to, as I said, in 2020-2021.
Yes, I am well aware of the difficulties, as is the Minister of Justice, having worked a number of years, including together, in the criminal justice sphere.
My question to the Minister is: is similar programming directed at men who use violence available in communities other than Yellowknife?
Minister, if you could please slow down for the interpreters. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do actually have a note that says "slow" right on my desk, but I do apologize to the translators.
Mr. Speaker, I can see the A New Day programming is predominantly focused currently here in Yellowknife. For what it is worth to the Member, one of the newest places where that program is being offered is at the North Slave Correctional facility, and it does therefore target individuals who come from across communities all across the Northwest Territories. That said, obviously, it is quite different from being offered within the communities themselves.
I can say also that the justice department, through Community Justice, is providing community-led and community-originated programs, both in Tsiigehtchic and in Fort Good Hope, and there continue to be opportunities to engage with community justice programs in order to help develop those programs in those communities. I look forward to having discussions in order to expand that, where possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
