Responsible teens,
respected victims
Available throughout Quebec, the SAMVA fund helps teenagers raise money to compensate their victims by working within their communities through non-profit organizations. In short, the fund allows more victims to obtain financial compensation and holds offending teenagers accountable, while providing the community with a volunteer workforce.
The situation in Quebec
About 5,200 teenagers enter the criminal justice system for the first time each year.
Offense by gender:
81% of teenage offenders are boys and 19% are girls.
The recidivism rate:
82% of these young people will not reoffend.
Nature of the offenses:
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Crimes against property, 40%
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Crimes against an individual, 23%
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Breach of an order / condition, 20%
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Drug offenses, 11%
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Firearms offenses, 2%
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Other offenses, 5%
The success rate :
90% of teenagers referred to an alternative justice agency complete their reparations successfully.
Our solution
The SAMVA Fund allows more victims to obtain financial compensation and holds teenage offenders accountable, while offering the community a volunteer workforce.
How it works
Offense: A teenager commits an offense that causes a financial loss to a victim.
Discussion: The victim expresses the consequences that he or she has experienced and the teenager recognizes the harm that he or she has caused.
Agreement: Following the discussion, the teenager agrees to compensate the victim according to a set amount by working with a non-profit organization.
Reimbursement: When the teenager has completed his or her commitment, the SAMVA Fund reimburses the victim.