John Howard Society of Belleville

Direct Accountability Program

The Direct Accountability Program operates in the court system and is funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General. It is an alternative to prosecution for eligible individuals (18 years of age and over) with no or limited prior involvement in the adult court system who have been charged with minor offences. The accused person is held accountable through community based sanctions. To be eligible the person must be willing to accept responsibility for actions that led to the charge, be willing to make amends for their offence through an assigned task or sanction and complete an agreement which outline the terms to be met. Possible sanctions include: restitution, letter of apology, volunteer work, charitable donation, attending a program or presentation and/or peace bond. By successfully completing the sanction imposed the individuals can be held accountable for their behaviour and have the charge(s) withdrawn by the courts.

For more information, please call our office to connect with our DAP worker.