Don’t let a w

Building a better commu

Law breakers aid needy in NV program

By PAT RICH

A convicted’ im-
paired driver spends
100 hours helping to
teach handicapped
chidren in North
Vancouver how to
swim.

A Narth Vancouver man
pleads guilty to possession of
Marijuana and cuts lawns for
senior citizens as part of his
probation.

And there are two plaques
mounted at Presentation
House in North Vancouver
thanking community work
service workers and the
probation office for their
help in getting the facility
operating

It's all part of the com
munity work service
program operated by the
probation office in) North

Vancouver in an attempt to
reunite adult offenders with
the community.

Simply put, the program
involves having a_ person
convicted of a criminal act.
doing so many hours of
community work service as a
part of their probation.

Because it is a no-loss
program in which everybody
benefits from an essentially
negative action, the program
has grown greatly in scope
since it started in North
Vancouver in the mid 1970's

GIVING BACK

Peter Sievenpiper who 1s
in charge of the North Van
probation office explains
that almost 30 per cent of
probation orders prepared
by NV courts specify some
sort of community work
service as part of an of
fender’s probation

‘SECTION

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Tel. 985-2131

“Judges feel that people
who have offended against
the community should in
some way give something
back to the community.”

Last year 228 people did a
total of 17,680 hours of
community work service in
North Vancouver under the
supervision of the probation
office and specifically, Karl
Miller, the community
service officer.

“The way our program ts

different from other
programs,” Sievenpiper
explains, “is that we have

gone out of our way to solicit
assistance from various
agencies within the com-

“munity.”

Miller hsts the North Van
groups involved in the
program, and touches on
almost all of the volunteer

service organizations on the
North Shore.

“These are people that
need somebody to do a
community onmentated job
and can provide the
supervision,”  Sievenpiper
says

The probation office acts
as a go-between for the
offender and = community
group tnvolved and tnes to
stay out of the picture as
much as possible

The paperwork ts minimal
and just’ concerned with
making sure that the amount
of work service specified by
the judge, is done as or
dered.

A community onentated
yob can range from tnmming
hedges for semior cilizens to
acting as a counsellor at the
North Vancouver Outdoor
school

CONTINUED ON PAGE C3

heelchair hold you back : p. C6

THE SPACED OUT
LADIES from _ the
North Shore are ready
to take to the water
for the Fraser River
Raft Race aboard
their vessel sponsored
by Heineken beer.
The ten member crew
is captained by
Carolyn Hadfield
(center). A men’s raft
named the Mosquito

Creek Beaver
Retrievers, which
placed second _iast

year is also entered in
this race along the
Fraser River. The
race begins Sunday
morning at 10 a.m. at
the Mission Bridge
when about 40 rafts
will start their 3),
hour trip to Haney. A
drifting party will be
held afterwards at the
Haney Civic Arena.
(Terry Peters photo)

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