tender_20205 - Multi-Sector Evaluation of the Justice Centres and Comparison to the Select Therapeutic Courts

Several years into the implementation of JCs, the Province requires a multi-year, external evaluation of JCs to assess the success of the model, identify areas of improvement and inform expansion opportunities. The evaluation will work in conjunction with the Indigenous-led evaluation process for the Kenora JC that respects Indigenous ways of knowing and promotes healing, wellness and restorative justice approaches.

The evaluation will assist the Ministry and the OCJ in understanding how the JC model can have the greatest individual, community, and system impact at different points in the criminal justice process for diverse communities. This includes how the JC model improves outcomes and access to justice for Indigenous, Black, racialized, and marginalized individuals in the criminal justice system, as well as supports for victims and survivors of crime. Further, the evaluation will explore opportunities to lead potential future multi-sector data integration (e.g. justice, health, education, housing), to broaden the Ministry’s capacity to assess programs and investments and demonstrate improved individual, community and public safety outcomes.

Subject to the availability of existing data from Select Therapeutic Courts to conduct a comparative assessment to JCs, this process could serve as an opportunity to make recommendations to the Ministry on steps to improve data collection, tracking, processes and outcomes for existing Select Therapeutic Courts to support a more expansive analysis in the future.