"Elizabeth Fry Society has been graciously supported by the Alberta Law Foundation for many decades to provide services for the gaps in the justice system, but more importantly provides diversionary supports to reduce the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the justice system.

While Legal Aid Alberta provides an important service, our community work in restorative justice is integral to addressing the impact of criminalization which means a cost savings to both government and overall systems. This is not something that can be conducted by a system's approach, but driven by Elders and community.

A reduced budget for community organizations who make an impact on addressing crime in an effective manner will only weaken the progress and effectiveness of working upstream to combat the issues of crime and recidivism of those with vulnerabilities which can be better served through restorative approaches who would otherwise be left without the appropriate resources and services and end up reoffending and/or incarcerated.

Without the continued support of the Alberta Law Foundation for our restorative programming the cost of doing upstream work would mean increased costs related to incarceration, remand, administration of justice charges that contribute to higher court and system costs. Additionally, it is important to note the cyclic nature of criminalization when individuals have been sentenced without addressing the core issues that led to their charges. Restorative justice focuses on long term change, which in the past 5 years has exhibited less recidivism and less than a handful of individuals who have ended up incarcerated. Addressing the issues underneath the charges has been highly effective and less expensive in addressing rehabilitation.

The Alberta Law Foundation has worked collaboratively with the sector for many years to identify the gaps in the system and innovative solutions to ensure that purposeful change is undertaken in terms of funded organizations. This progress is essential to continued successes in supporting the system with meaningful service structures. To divert funds from this work in the long term will diminish the value and purpose of services that support vulnerable populations as will this erode the potential of addressing upstream meaning a much higher cost point for the justice/legal system."