Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J U N E 2 0 1 6 27 n April, Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia Thomas Crabtree became the first judge in Canada to host a Twitter town hall to answer questions from the public and, of course, lawyers and law students. The social media outreach was much publicized and it highlights the era of openness and con- nectivity that Crabtree wants to foster in the courts during his seven-year term. "We have an ongoing commitment to engage with the people and the community regarding the justice system," he tells Cana- dian Lawyer, adding that the more the public understands the justice system, the greater the trust it instills. As further efforts to connect with the public, Crabtree has done media interviews, meets with high school students, speaks to public groups, and steers the revamp of the Provincial Court web site to contain more information and less legalese, including weekly articles on the workings of the court and its staff. "The Twitter town hall is just an extension of that engagement, and I was excited to try it and I think it went reasonably well," he says. Behind the need to connect and build trust is the desire to ensure B.C.'s Provincial Court, which has more than 140 judges at more than 85 locations (plus circuits), fulfils the needs of its diverse public and plays a role that is effective rather than simply scripted. The mass transit system of the wheels of justice, the Provincial Court handles 95 per cent of criminal cases and half of all others. It has developed a system of "problem-solving" courts. Crabtree doesn't take credit for the idea of "problem-solving" courts, but during his term, which ends in April 2017, he has worked with court staff and community services to support and broaden the concept of "why" an offender lands up in court, find a remedy, and stem the revolving door of repeat offenders. "The problem-solving courts really attempt, to the extent that they can, resolve the root causes," he says. "They attempt, through the course of the services that they provide, to restore the person and addresses the problem, with the belief that if you treat the underly- ing cause, then they are not likely to come back." They have evolved through consultation and collaboration between government, the Crown, the bar, and social and health services agencies. The majority of individuals in criminal and related matters plead guilty and acknowledge responsibility for their behaviour, says the chief judge, which provides these problem-solving courts C R O S S E X A M I N E D KIM STALLKNECHT I Open court B.C. Provincial Court Chief Judge Thomas B.C. Provincial Court Chief Judge Thomas Crabtree is making himself and the courts Crabtree is making himself and the courts accessible to the public. accessible to the public. By Jean Sorensen

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