Community Education
The Community Education Program of the John Howard Society is an available service which is open to the public. Its purpose is to educate the community and encourage the development of community partnerships toward crime prevention. We make presentations in the community to high schools, colleges, universities, career fairs and community social service agencies.
Presently we are involved in changing the perception of the Community with respect to services of the Society. Many people in the community, when asked what we do, believe that we are only involved with offenders and prisons. We have a mandate to offer services which prevent crime therefore working with offenders are a part of our services. However, the root causes of crime are actually the focus of the agency, therefore many people we work with have never been in trouble with the law but face barriers which could lead them and/or their families into conflict. These root causes of crime include: unemployment, low education, abuse (physical and drug), lack of communication skills, homelessness and no social supports. The more "risk factors" a person has in their life, the greater the chances that they will commit a crime. We therefore address the risk factors in a person’s life regardless of whether they have committed a crime.
Community Focused Programs:
We have two employment programs, the Employment Resource Centre and Options to Succeed Program; these programs are open to the public to access for employment and to improve literacy or essential skills which will improve their chances of long term employment.
Our Homeless Prevention Services help people retain their homes and resolve conflict issues with their landlords, neighbours and family.
The Prevention & Diversion program is within the High Schools to encourage youth to resolve conflicts in a positive manner. This is a preventative measure to avoid criminal charges and increase the likelihood of youth staying in school through Peer Mediation and skills training.
Workshops are also offered and open to the community on a Fee For Service basis. Some examples of the workshops are: Conflict Resolution, Social Skills and Personality Dimensions.
Criminal Justice Focused Programs:
The John Howard Society has programs which are geared toward helping those in conflict with the law as well, such as: Discharge Planning, Community Service Order Programs, (Youth and Adult), assistance with Pardon Applications, Bail Verification/Supervision, Community Assessment & Parole Supervision, Intermittent Sentencing, Offender Treatment Services, Anger Management and YCJA Extra Judicial Measures. These programs are geared toward crime prevention and reducing the factors that influence a person to committing offences.
The United Way assists the John Howard Society through funding three of our programs. These services are all geared toward crime reduction and keeping the community safe.
