Talk title: Community Courts: A British Columbia Perspective
Multidisciplinary partnerships (collaborations) from the justice and health sectors form justice and treatment partnerships of various types e.g. Treatment Courts; Restorative Justice programs; Community Justice Centres; Diversion programs etc. in efforts to effectively tackle the various determinants of criminal behaviour to reduce crime and promote individual and community well being. The various permutations and combinations of these programs are illustrative of human ingenuity and innovation. Despite some obvious differences, an experienced jurist discusses some of the key components of a successful justice and health collaboration.
Biography:
The Honourable Justice Kofi N. Barnes, Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and a former judge of the Ontario Court of Justice. Born in Ghana, Justice Barnes made history as the first person born on the African continent to be appointed a judge in Canada. With an illustrious legal career and a strong commitment to social justice, he has become an internationally recognized leader in the fight against discrimination and inequality.
As the founder of a number of Treatment Courts including as a co-founder of Canada’s first Drug Treatment Court in Toronto, Justice Barnes has helped pave the way for multidisciplinary approaches that integrate legal case processing with treatment and rehabilitation—transforming lives and enhancing individual and community safety.
In 2020, Justice Barnes founded the Association of Justice and Treatment Professionals (www.justicetreatment.org) a professional development forum for justice and treatment professionals to dialogue and learn from each other about issues affecting instances where justice, treatment and community intersect these include the determinants of crime, individual and community well-being.
The Honourable Justice Barnes is the co-editor of People, Places and Things published by Friesen Press. Justice Barnes is the recipient of awards such as the York University Bryden Awards; the Trent University Distinguished Alumni Award; the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Commemorative Medal and the African Canadian Achievement Award for Excellence in Law.
