Mission
The Criminal Justice Transformation Group works collaboratively to first collect information about how the justice system is working. This is done by listening and responding to the people who work in the system. Next, the team identifies the areas and processes that need to be improved and establish a working group that uses an evidence-based approach to develop and implement projects to fill the gaps and fix the problems. Finally, the team tracks and evaluates the changes to see if they are actually making things better.
Members
The team is made up of high-level decision-makers from organizations across the criminal justice system, including:
| Nova Scotia Judiciary | Nova Scotia RCMP | Criminal Lawyers Association |  |
| Department of Justice Canada | Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association | Nova Scotia Legal Aid | |
| Nova Scotia Department of Justice | Public Prosecution Service of Canada | Criminal Lawyers Association | |
| Halifax Regional Police | Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service |
Current Projects
The Criminal Justice Transformation Group is working to modernize the criminal justice system in Nova Scotia, making it more efficient and effective for everyone involved, as well as for society as a whole. Right now the Group is focused on:
A triage approach to dealing with criminal matters that come into the courts. This approach allows cases to be prioritized so that they may be dealt with more effiiciently, some through diversion or early resolution, others through better scheduling based on how complex they are.
Increasing the appropriate use of video-conferencing technology to minimize the time, effort and costs of appearing in court for everyone involved - the accused, witnesses and lawyers.
An e-disclosure process and accompanying computer and network infrastructure. This is a more efficient way of exchanging information and documents electronically between police and the Crown, and the Crown and defence counsel.