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Mr. Jacob Bouwman

Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada

Meritorious Service Decorations - Civil Division

  • Meritorious Service Medal

    Awarded on: 2004-11-25
    Invested on: 2005-05-30
    RCMP Staff Sergeant Jakob Bouwman, M.S.M., Chilliwack, British Columbia The Honourable Heino Lilles, M.S.M., Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Glen A. Purdy, M.S.M., Fernie, British Columbia The Honourable Donald M. Waurynchuk, M.S.M., Cranbrook, British Columbia Meritorious Service Medal (civil division) Pioneers in the field of restorative justice, S/Sgt. Jake Bouwman, local defence counsel Glen Purdy and judges Heino Lilles and Donald Waurynchuk developed and implemented the community-based Youth Assistance Program in Sparwood, British Columbia, in 1995. Through this innovative endeavour, youth-related offences are dealt with outside of the traditional court system; victims and offenders are involved in coming to a resolution where the wrongdoers are not sentenced to custody but are allowed to understand the impact of the offence on victims, families and their communities. The team’s successful restorative justice model sparked nationwide application of this new process and is currently being used by more than 40 communities across Canada.