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This document is archival in nature and is intended Le présent document a une valeur archivistique et for those who wish to consult archival documents fait partie des documents d’archives rendus made available from the collection of Public Safety disponibles par Sécurité publique Canada à ceux Canada. qui souhaitent consulter ces documents issus de sa collection. Some of these documents are available in only one official language. Translation, to be provided Certains de ces documents ne sont disponibles by Public Safety Canada, is available upon que dans une langue officielle. Sécurité publique request. Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. Solicitor General Solliciteur général Canada Canada Ministry Secrétariat Secretariat du Ministère *--« THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXHIBIT SUMMER TOUR 1987 FINAL REPORT Consultation Centre Centre de consultation HV /987 v THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXHIBIT SUMMER TOUR 1987 FINAL REPORT • 's ' ~ CAteD" DEC 9 199.2 . cee 4 , e r oe eb e •re • es' rbs- \ - ,k,e5 •k• • J e ■ ,eee •,b, el ... Prepared by: e.eb› 4" e , .,e À,e • re, 6eF ».e' e Q,Ç e e - Marc Vger, .1,he e e s.e • ,z,. - Communications Assistant Ç.pve et) , ee° e, Consultation Centre efr - Atlantic Region e August 1987 (i) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page(s) 1. MODEL AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXHIBIT 1-10 i. Logic For the Participation of Other Groups in the Exhibit 1-3 ii. The Rationale for the Involvement of Related Organizations 4-6 iii. Steps Taken to Establish Contacts in Each Community 6-10 2. REACTION TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXHIBIT 11-20 i. Federal Government Agencies 11-14 ii. Provincial Government Agencies 14, 15 iii. Non-government Agencies 15, 16 iv. Media 16-18 v. Public 18-20 3. EVALUATION OF THE EXHIBIT AND IDEAS FOR FUTURE TOURS 21-31 i. Evaluation of Preparation Work for Each Site Visited 21-23 ii. Evaluation of Each Site Visited 23 iii. Types of Sites Visited and Suggested Alternate Sites 23-27 iv. Media 27, 28 v. Evaluation of Response to Enquiries for More Information 28, 29 vi. Evaluation of Types of Information Distributed 29, 30 vii. Evaluation of Experiments With Audio-Visual Aids 30, 31 (ii) TABLE OF CONTENTS - (Continued) Page(s) 4. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Future Tours 32, 33 2. Advance Preparation 32 3. Length of Visits 33 4. Media 33 5. Audio-Visual Equipment 33 1. MODEL AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXHIBIT. The purpose of this first section is to outline in detail what steps were taken to conduct the 1987 Summer Tour of the Criminal Justice Exhibit. The process of organizing a summer tour for the Criminal Justice Exhibit began long before the three summer students were hired (May 11, 18, 1987). A contract to get the exhibit underway was given to Ms. Francine Gallant. Specifically, Ms. Gallant's tasks included: - consultations with selected criminal justice agencies regarding the development of an exhibit itinerary; - the establishment of an itinerary for the period April 25 to August 15; - and to assist in the selection and training of three exhibit staff members. These activities are explained in detail in a report prepared by Francine Gallant and submitted to the Consultation Centre/ Atlantic on August 1, 1987. Since the process of implementing the necessary mechanisms to get the Criminal Justice Exhibit underway have already been recorded, this section will be devoted to the preparatory work required before the exhibit visits a site. i. Logic For The Participation Of Other Groups In The Exhibit. The Criminal Justice Exhibit was designed to increase public awareness of the criminal justice system. Installing a .../2 2 flashy exhibit in a shopping centre, especially when staffed by an outsider, does not automatically ensure the achievement of this goal. The Consultation Centre/Atlantic is responsible for a very large geographical territory comprised of four provinces. This means that while the administration of federal programs probably follows standard procedures in the four provinces, other components of the justice system differ from province to province. The provinces have adopted their justice systems to meet their particular needs. Each province will also differ in the number and types of non-govermental organizations working in the field of justice. It is, therefore, natural to expect that issues and the public's perception of the justice system will differ in various regions of Atlantic Canada. Consequently, to succeed in our goal to educate the public on the criminal justice system, it was necessary to devise a system which would give the exhibit enough flexibility to truly meet the needs of all Atlantic Canadians. Before the Criminal Justice Exhibit visited a community, the Consultation Centre/Atlantic communicated with various organizations involved in the justice system. These contacts began with representatives from other federal agencies such as the R.C.M.P., National Parole Board, and Correctional Service of Canada. Provincial organizations were then contacted and included provincial probation officers, departments of social services, and crown attorneys. Municipal and local police forces . ./3 3 were also made aware the exhibit would be in their area. Finally, other organizations such as halfway houses, crisis centres, the John Howard Society, and family support units were contacted. Appendix "A" contains a list of all groups that were invited to participate with the exhibit. A quick glance at this list indicates the importance of our efforts to involve related organizations. The importance of contacting .these groups became obvious during the early stages of the tour. Not only did advising them of the exhibit's schedule make for good public relations on the part of the Ministry, but it also contributed toward the communications role of the Consultation Centre with Atlantic Canadians. Local input was always sought before selecting a site for the exhibit. Since a number of issues can be highlighted through the exhibit, emphasis was placed on the needs of each community visited. Contact with these various organizations was not limited to the selection of the shopping centre where the exhibit was to be set up. Groups were invited to contribute any of their own produced materials that related to the themes of the exhibit or promoted their organization. They were also invited to participate directly by staffing the exhibit in the company of a trained staff member. .../4 4 ii. The Rationale For The Involvement Of Related Organizations. One of the single most important factors that contributed to the success of the 1987 summer tour of the Criminal Justice Exhibit was the participation of related groùps or organizations. Their contribution towards helping meet the goals and objectives of the tour was immeasurable. These groups are a tremendous source of information to their community. When contacts were properly established, virtually no questions from the public eluded exhibit staff members. Susan Bour and Louis Cormier were qualified to answer general questions relating to the criminal justice system. The materials available from the exhibit for public distribution was general in nature. The themes of the exhibit, while being quite specific, also provided members of the public with rather general information. There is a need for this information and it serves a vital function in educating the public. More specific questions were, however, a frequent occurrence. In some cases, people needing help would seek the advice of the students working on the exhibit. For instance, in Moncton a young girl who had been sexually abused came to us for help. Fortunately, the staff person on duty had the necessary information to refer this young person to someone qualified to help. Often, people came to the exhibit with a distorted picture of the crime situation in their community. It is very difficult • • •/5 5 for a staff member, without having knowledge of the area, to set people straight by giving them the correct information. A police officer, however, can answer these questions. In order to present a complete picture of the justice system, it was necessary to have local input. We did our best to have a local element at every site. The presence of related organizations also made a different type of contribution to the exhibit. They were able to advise staff members concerning local issues and services. In addition, they could advise the students on practical matters such as where to find a service station or a good restaurant. This made their stay in the community much more pleasant. At one point the staff members were on the road for more than one month. These contacts added a human dimension to their job. Finally, by spending some time with a member of a women's group in Summerside, or with someone from a youth diversion program in Sydney, we were able to demonstrate to these organizations, and many others, that the Consultation Centre/Atlantic remains committed to the prevention of crime through a society that understands and participates in its criminal justice system. Very often, these groups were surprised to find out how much information was available from this office and how useful this information could be to them.