A Victoria man with a history of breaking into churches has escaped a lengthy prison sentence by turning his life around through a restorative justice program.

Dennis Minnings, 57, pleaded guilty Monday to stealing money from the donation box at Masjid Al-Iman mosque on Quadra Street on March 27, 2013, and breaking into the rectory at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Nelthorpe Street in April of the same year.

After participating in a six-month restorative justice program and performing more than 200 hours of community service work, Minnings was sentenced to 21 days of time served and six months’ probation.

Provincial court Judge Anthony Palmer said Minnings has made a sincere effort to change his life, despite his long history of break and enters.

Prosecutor Laura Ford told the court that after taking the file, she wondered if Minnings had any sense of the impact his crimes had. She learned that Minnings’ 30 years of offences were rooted in his substance-abuse problem.

Ford and Minnings' defence lawyer, Donald McKay, referred Minnings to the Restorative Justice Victoria team, which met with Minnings, the victims and police. They came up with an agreement that Minnings would do an hour of community service every weekday from April 30 to Oct. 30, 2014.

The program required him to talk to his mentor once a week, see his doctor once a month and take part in a methadone program.

Minnings volunteered at the Salvation Army and more than doubled his obligation to community service, said Ford. In the past 22 months, He committed no new offences and did not breach what was essentially house arrest, she said.

“It appears he has broken his crime cycle and may actually turn out to be one of those individuals who can take a leadership position in terms of working with other people who suffer from substance abuse,” said Ford.

It’s a success story that has taken everyone by surprise, said McKay. Minnings has volunteered at soup kitchens, helps the manager of his apartment building and plans to continue volunteering at the Salvation Army.

Conditions of his probation include 60 hours of community work to be completed by June 30 and no use of drugs or alcohol.

ldickson@timescolonist.com



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If you ask my son what he understands by the word Transformation, he will answer something along the lines of Megatron, Optimus Prime or one of the other giant robots that transforms into a car. Well he is only 3! But thats kind of the point. Transformation might be defined in a dictionary, but to each of us, individually, it will have a different meaning. 

We are all of us at some level going through transformation in our lives every day. It may be learning to be a parent, coping with a loss, coping with an illness, working towards a promotion, or simply trying to identify with a new community. 

I moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2013. The move for my family and I to Canada was pretty huge. It has been a wonderful experience, and along the way a bit of a culture shock. Everything is familiar...and yet just a little bit different. I'm sure from the many people I talk to, that others who have moved from one community to another experience those same feelings. Trying to make new friends, seeking approval perhaps, finding work, helping our children fit in and make friends. 

It makes me wonder if that's how some of our offenders must feel? 

I'm not talking about Ted Bundy here, just your regular high school kid perhaps, who does something stupid, just a bad decision, a wrong choice and it all goes terribly wrong? They know it, they acknowledge it, they may embrace it even. Yet, when they are walking around town, or work, or school, I'd wager they are pretty pre-occupied with wondering who knows? What are other people thinking or saying about them? About me? 

In school, this feeling must be even more intense. Their young age, and immaturity will doubtless amplify feelings of isolation, and perhaps loneliness. Is it any wonder then, that if they are not given a chance to make amends, and quickly, allowing them to fit back in, that those feeling might make them start to feel alienated? No longer accepted? I wonder if thats how their perception of it might be. 

This is the beauty of Restorative Justice. The people that are involved in it can experience a transformation. Victims, Offenders and community representatives. Even the facilitators. For the offender it is an acceptance of wrong doing, allowing them a new start. An understanding that they are accepted, that they are not been judged, that the process is confidential, it removes some of the anxiety and worry. 

It is all too easy in a modern society, and I speak from considerable experience, to want someone to be held accountable for their actions. For many of us, accountability is in the form of punishment. But does punishment in the traditional sense bring about the transformation we would like to see? Does it bring about what we really need? Is it the best thing for the individuals involved? Is it the best thing for the community? 

Perhaps its time we all looked at the word 'Transformation' and think about how it can be applied to make things better for everybody. 

Our program is going through a transformation right now, and it is invigorating to be a part of it. There is great excitement, and indeed a measure of trepidation as we move forward, trying to understand how we approach and achieve our goals. How do we become more engaged, more effective, and more successful at bringing about transformations. 

This blog, our recent presence on social media, and a revamp of this web site are all steps forward towards a more diverse and dynamic approach for the Restorative Justice Program of the Sunshine Coast. It is a transformation that I am proud to be a part of, and it is a transformation that the local community can, and should be a part of. 

As a populace we are geographically perfect for RJ to be intensely, and incredibly successful. A model for other communities not just in BC, but across Canada, North America and beyond.