Community Justice Ministries

Title: Community Justice Ministries fonds

Dates of creation: 1973-2013, predominant 1975-2000

Physical description: 1.2 m of textual records, 44 photographs : col. slides, 1 audio reel : mylar

Administrative history: At the 1967 MCC Ontario annual meeting, a request was brought forward to investigate the possibility of MCCO volunteers assisting released prisoners. In 1969 Mark Yantzi, an MCCO volunteer, began working at the Waterloo County probation service. In the coming years, he matched volunteers with probationers as part of MCCO's Voluntary Probation Program. The program spread to St. Catharines and Guelph. MCCO also supported the nascent M-2 ("man to man")  and St. Leonard's Society's prison visitation programs by supplying volunteers. 

In 1973, the Law Reform Commission of Canada proposed diverting the majority of cases from the normal court system to give more time to serious offences. In his 1974 MCCO annual report, Dave Worth proposed a pilot project in Waterloo Region to facilitate reconciliation between victims and offenders. The development of the project was spurred by the "Elmira Case" in May 1974, in which a judge ordered two young men guilty of vandalism to make restitution directly to their victims. Mark Yantzi and Dave Worth were directed by the court to oversee the reconciliation process. More cases soon followed and MCC Ontario's Victim Offender Reconciliation Project (VORP) was formed.

In 1980, MCCO created the Community Justice Ministries Committee (CJM) to oversee activities in the field of “criminal justice and alternate forms of dispute resolution.” CJM coordinated the Community Mediation Service and the Victim Offender Reconciliation Project, and partially funded the M2/W2 program. The Community Mediation Service provided alternative dispute settlement procedure through the use of trained mediators, thus avoiding "the expense, delay and formality of the courtroom.”  VORP explored "alternatives to the existing criminal justice system,” by promoting reconciliation between victims and offenders through restitution agreements.

In 1982, VORP and CMS incorporated separately from MCCO as Community Justice Initiatives (CJI). MCCO continued to support the new organization through grant funding and board membership. CJM continued to initiate projects "which exemplify the model of reconciliaton." More information about these various projects and how they were connected to CJM is provided in the file list, below. The Community Justice Ministries Committee ceased to operate in the late 1990s as MCC Ontario went through an administrative restructuring, and responsibilities for restorative justice programs were distributed elsewhere within the organization.

Custodial history: Files were transferred from the offices of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario in Kitchener to the Archives in 2014. Two additional files from John Bender were received in 2023: XIV-3.21.1/9 and XIV-3.21.1/10.

Scope and content: Contains the records of the Community Justice Ministries Committee of MCC Ontario, consisting primarily of minutes, correspondence and reports. Some files relating to specific projects and affiliated organizations were also maintained by CJM. Also included here are files of the crime and justice programs of MCC Ontario before the creation of CJM.

Notes: Archival description created 2018 by Laureen Harder-Gissing

File list:

Series 1: Victim Offender Reconciliation Project (VORP)

Scope and content: Contains the records of VORP before the formation of Community Justice Initiatives, as well as other early records of MCC Ontario's work with crime victims and offenders. Additional early records are located in MCC Ontario Administrative Correspondence (XIV-3.1.3).

1. Minutes, 1973, 1976-1982
2. Correspondence and reports, 1964, 1973-1982
   Note: Includes reports on the "Elmira case."
3. Waterloo Detention Centre, 1979, 1982
4. Victim/Witness Services, 1980-1981, 1983
5. Volunteer Probation Program, 1975-1976, 1978-1983
6. Youth in Conflict with the Law Association, 1977-1979
7. Niagara Halfway House study committee, 1976-1977
8. Access Project, 1977-1980
   Scope and content: Access was a program of community education in cooperation with the Victim-Offender Reconciliation Project and the Ontario Ministry of Corrections.
   Note: Formerly classified as XIV-3.14.2
   1. Miscellaneous
   Note: File integrated with XIV-3.21.1/2
   2. Minutes
   Note: File integrated with XIV-3.21.1/1
   3. Correspondence
   4. Outreach Groups
   5. Applications Forms and Documents
   6. Interim Reports, 1977
   7. Materials for Study Groups, Questionnaires for Schools
   8. Information from American Projects Skyland School, Georgia & Deerfield, Illinois
   9. Mohawk College Presentation
   10. Queensmount Public School
   11. Handbook for LIP sponsors, Guide to Completing Financial and Progress Reports
   12. Student Responses to Questionnaires Queensmount School
   13. Student Responses to Questionnaires Courtland School
9. Research into the history of VORP by John Bender, March/April 1989
10. Production file for the slide show "Who is in Prison?," 1985

Series 2: Community Mediation Service

Scope and content: Contains the records of the Community Mediation Service before the formation of Community Justice Initiatives.

1. Minutes, correspondence and reports, 1980-1981

Series 3: Community Justice Ministries

Scope and content: Contains the records of the Community Justice Ministries Committee of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, including minutes, contact with related organizations, reports, correspondence and some project files.

1. Minutes and reports, 1980-1997
2. Correspondence, 1981-1989, 1991, 1994
3. Community Resources in Criminal Justice Group, 1980-1982
4. Community Mediation Services of Downsview, 1986, 1988-1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2000
5. Restorative Justice Initiative (Cobourg, Ontario) brochure
6. Toronto Community Chaplaincy, 1997-2000
   Note: Includes plans for Project Hope, a chaplaincy and support service for women released from federal institutions
7. Kingston prison chaplaincy, 1990-1993, 1999
   Note: Includes Victim Support projects
8. Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region, 1986-1988
9. Notes on settlement needs of ex-offenders in Kitchener
10. Notes on quilting program at Grand Valley Institution
11. Church Council on Justice and Corrections, minutes, 1989-1999
12. Church Council on Justice and Corrections, reports and correspondence, 1989-1999
    Note: Includes a report by Evan Heise titled "The roots of restorative justice in the Christian faith tradition," 2 May 1999

Series 4: Victim Offender Ministries/Restorative Justice programs

Scope and content: Contains the records of an MCC Canada program called Victim Offender Ministries (VOM). From 1983-1989, Dave Worth was director of this program, working out of the MCC Ontario office. Wayne Northey was director from 1989-1998.

1. Reports and correspondence, 1981-1990, 1993, 1997
2. Justice as Reconciliation project, 1986-1987
3. Restorative Justice program gatherings, 1999, 2001, 2002
4. "Doing the work, telling the story: an examination of MCC Canada's ministry in restorative justice" / Dean E. Peachey, Sept 1999

Series 5: Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Conciliation Services of Canada

Scope and content: Contains the records of this joint program begun by Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, the Canadian Conference of Brethren in Christ Churches and MCC Ontario. The goal of the program was to help Christians develop peacemaking skills and manage church conflict more effectively. CJM provided grants to this organization.

1. Minutes, 1987-1998, 2000
2. Correspondence, 1978-1990, 1992, 1996-1997, 1999-2001

Series 6: M2/W2

Scope and content: Contains the records of a program that began as Man to Man Ontario (M-2) in 1975. Later known as M2/W2 ("Man to Man/Woman to Woman"), it was an ecumenical Christian program of prison visitation matching prisoners and volunteers during incarceration and post release. MCC Ontario's Community Justice Ministries partially funded the program.

1. Minutes, 1981-1983, 1985-1992
2. Correspondence, 1983-1992
3. Charter (1975) and by-law
4. Brochures and statements
5. Newsletters, 1981-1991 (intermittent)

Series 7: Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA)

Scope and content: Contains the early records of this program which began in response to several high-profile releases into the community of sexual offenders at the end of their prison terms (warrant expiry). The program had the involvement of MCC Ontario, Community Justice Ministries and the Toronto Community Chaplaincy.

1. Community Reintegration Project, minutes, 1995-1998
2. Community Reintegration Project, manuals, 1996, 2000
3. Community Reintegration Project, reports and correspondence, 1995-1999
4. CoSA clippings and brochures
5. Presentation to Solicitor General, 2003
6. Christopher's Law (Sex Offender Registry), 1992, 1998-2000
   Note: Includes a presentation by MCC Ontario to the federal Steering Committee on Justice and Social Policy
7. Wray Budreo files (restricted)
   Note: See Archivist's note at beginning of file

Series 8: Victim Offender Reconciliation Program Niagara

Administrative history: In 1985, MCC Ontario established Niagara Community Justice Ministries to explore the possibilities for victim offender reconciliation in Niagara. In 1991, CJM Niagara formed an ecumenical task force, and in 1992, VORP Niagara began operation.The program then operated independently of MCC Ontario, though it received grants from MCCO's Community Justice Ministries. Operations ceased in 2000 due to lack of funding.

1. Annual meeting reports and minutes, 1993-2000
2. Board and committee minutes, 1983, 1988-2000
3. Financial statements, 1992-2000
4. Newsletters, Oct 1992-Mar 2000
5. Correspondence, 1990-2001
6. Brochures and news clippings
7. Constitution and by-law
8. Volunteer training and forms
9. "Sustaining Friend" program
10. "Face 2 face" pilot project
11. Presentations and displays
12. History and general information

Series 9: Community Justice Initiatives (CJI)

Administrative history: Following the incorporation of CJI in 1982, MCC Ontario continued to have representatives on the board and provide grants to this organization.

1. VORP reports and correspondence, 1983-1988
2. VORP statistics, 1990-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-2000
3. CJI newsletters and brochures, [198-?], 1987
4. CJI minutes and reports, 1982-1990
5. CJI constitution, by-law and policies
6. CJI-Waterloo Detention Centre agreement, 1987
7. CJI correspondence, reports and agreements, 1982-1989
8. CJI reports, 2006/07-2008/09, 2011/12-2012/13
9. Religion and Sexual Abuse discussion group, 1993-1994, 1997-1998
10. Committee on Restorative Justice in Ontario, 1991-1993

Series 10: The Network: Interaction for Conflict Resolution

Administrative history: In 1982, CJI established a Community Justice Resource Centre. In 1985, its mandate was expanded and it became the "Network for Community Justice and Conflict Resolution." The Network  served as a resource for people working in the areas of conflict resolution and justice system alternatives. It incorporated separately in 1988.

1. Minutes, 1986-1989
2. Reports and correspondence, 1986-1989
3. Miscellaneous
   Note: Includes letters patent (1988), by-law, brochure, agreements
4. "Victim-Offender Reconciliation: Applications for Prison Chaplains" retreat, 1990

Series 11: Audiovisual records

1. Mr. Nash, superintendent of Kitchener Jail / MCC Ontario. - 1977. - Kitchener, Ont. - 1 audio reel : mylar, 5 in. reel
2. Photographs
   Note: Access Project photographs (slides) are located in Hist.Mss.10.44 and described in the Mennonite Archival Image Database.

Series 12: St. Leonard's Society

Scope and Content: Contains files of the interaction between MCC Ontario and the St. Leonard's Society, which matched volunteers to prisoners in the Guelph Correctional Centre.
Note: This series was formerly classified as XIV-3.14.3

1. Outline of Proposal, 1971
2. Minutes 1971-75
3. Correspondence 1971-74
4. Press Releases, Newsletters, Clippings, Flyers