A proponent of the Kamloops Community Justice Court says there’s evidence the specialized court system would lower the chances of a criminal reoffending.

Dr. Ruby Dhand, an associate professor of Law at Thompson Rivers University, says the goal of the court would be diverting certain people from the criminal justice system.

“In other jurisdictions, it can often be referred to as a mental health court. The aim of the court would actually be to increase access to justice for people with mental health issues and those experiencing substance use issues. It’s basically an alternative, specialized court that would provide supports to individuals appearing before the courts, so they can be diverted from the criminal justice system.”

She says the proponents have interviewed about 100 different stakeholders.

“And so we’ve done a lot of consultation within Kamloops itself. About 60 of those interviews were with key stakeholders within Kamloops and the surrounding. And the final goal of this court is to really be able to say that they can reduce recidivism. And there has been evidence of that.”

Dhand and others have applied to B.C.’s Judicial Review Committee to try and open the community justice court.