2. Scope and approach
The consultants conducted a limited online search of academic and gray literature on models of engagement with a particular focus on specific communities where there is a clear intersection between the victim experience and being part of marginalized communities. These specific communities were the following:
- Indigenous
- Black and racialized
- violence against women, with a specific focus on victims of sexual violence
- youth
The consultants also drew on their own experience with two of the models, the Community Equity Council of the Ottawa Police Service, and the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition’s Indigenous Women’s Safety Table.
Other than in the Violence Against Women sector, the former JUS Committee and Regional Advisory Committees of Correctional Services Canada, we could find no advisory bodies focused exclusively on seeking input from victims/survivors of crime. As a result, the search included bodies composed of organizations or individuals working in marginalized communities who tend to be over-represented as victims of crime. In particular, we focused on consultative bodies beyond the criminal justice system that included representatives of the four communities identified for this review: Black and racialized, Indigenous, violence against women, and youth.
The review looked at models and practices used in different jurisdictions in Canada, including the federal level and every province. A limited search garnered some literature from other countries, specifically the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as from international bodies.
The review examined models of engagement in two main categories:
- Medium to long-term bodies intended to engage with victims/survivors of crime or community representatives with connection and knowledge of the experiences of victims/survivors; and
- Practices for effectively involving victims/survivors and members of the specific communities of interest, whether in ongoing committees and councils or in short-term consultations.
Limitations of the data
This was a brief search for academic and grey material accessible online, and time limitations meant that it could not be comprehensive.
Many of the advisory committees and councils do not share detailed information online. Generally, there is a brief description and possibly the terms of reference and some additional information. In a few instances, academic articles have been produced that examine a particular body in more detail and these provided some insights. As a result, there may be interesting aspects of the models that are not readily apparent from the brief descriptions available online.
The literature search yielded a significant number of materials related to the national level, Ontario and BC, while fewer were found from other jurisdictions in Canada.
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