The International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC), an international organization founded by the governments of France, Canada and Québec, and headquartered in Montréal, asked Dentons to contribute pro bono research to support a research project, commissioned by the Department of Public Safety Canada and undertaken by the ICPC's research team, comparing youth diversion laws in select countries. The resulting study, "Report on National Prevention Strategies for Youth Violence: An International Comparative Study," is available on the website of the ICPC at http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org. The report maps and analyzes different national strategies for youth violence prevention in South Africa, Canada, Colombia, the United States, France and Norway, including the principles underlying each country's strategy and summaries of any literature on its effectiveness.

The report also shines a spotlight on programs that follow the "restorative justice" approach to youth violence, which emphasizes repairing the harm and promoting rehabilitation through cooperative processes involving all stakeholders.

Chantal Bernier, President of the ICPC and, not coincidentally, of counsel in our Ottawa office, shares her thoughts on the project, which she brought into the Firm, entrusting it to the capable hands of a law student in our Montréal office, who proved more than up to the task.

Why did you choose to become involved with the ICPC?

I joined Dentons' Privacy and Cybersecurity practice in 2014 after more than 25 years of public service, including, immediately prior to joining the Firm, six years with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as interim privacy commissioner and assistant commissioner and, before that, six years as assistant deputy minister of public safety, where I was responsible for aboriginal policing, crime prevention and corrections policy. When I left the ADM position for the OPC, the ICPC, which knew me well, asked  me to become its president. I accepted without hesitation. Unlike the UN, which takes a more "state-oriented" approach, the ICPC puts all parties  with an interest in crime prevention on an equal footing; criminal prevention practitioners, NGOs, government authorities, police, academic institutions, etc., all sharing insights that ICPC's members can bring back home to enrich local prevention.

This study is our second pro bono assignment for this organization. The first research project, which charted anti-terrorism legislation in various countries, was published in the ICPC's report on the prevention of violent radicalization. This time around, our focus was on diversion practices as a crime prevention tool for use in the criminal justice system, with a particular focus on diversion programs for young offenders.

The countries we covered—Canada, the US, France, South Africa, Norway and Columbia—were selected by the ICPC's director of research. Under his guidance, a group of analysts conducted a global study to identify international trends and country-specific examples. Considering the legal nature of diversion, I offered our services to connect the dots between the legal measures and crime trends in order to get a better idea of what's working and what isn't, because you can only verify theory through practice, particularly when it comes to crime prevention and cross-cultural application.

Why do you think Dentons was the right firm to handle this matter?

Why Dentons? Because we're global and so is the ICPC, and because we have a healthy pro bono program. As president of the ICPC, I know it was a worthy recipient of our Firm's pro bono efforts. Also, the issue of crime prevention is something everyone rallies around, an issue that touches us all. Living in a safe and protected society has a direct impact on the way we live our lives, especially in areas where the prevalence of crime undermines sustainable development efforts. The ICPC is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and knowledge on crime prevention and community safety. As a law firm of international scope and commitment to social policy, we are an ideal partner for the ICPC.

Can you talk about the teamwork behind the effort?

It was a "lean and mean" team of one—J.S. Park, a law student in our Montréal office, who put forth a yeoman's effort in support of the ICPC research team. But I think I speak for both of us when I say how gratifying  it was to see such a direct link between our profession of law and improvement of social outcomes, which is what this project set out to demonstrate. The goal of crime prevention is important to all of us. Worries about personal and physical safety and fear that one's property or other assets will be taken by force affect our willingness to take risks and seize opportunities.

What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

We had to scale back the scope of project—not because of lack of resources, but because there weren't as many diversion programs as we thought. We were hoping for a broader world view, but you go where the research takes you!

What about the project are you most proud of?

The fact that Dentons put its talent to the service of a great cause that everyone rallies around. And the fact that we had the resources to do the job. As the ICPC is based in Montréal, I wanted someone who spoke French. I launched a request to the Firm's Montréal office and they offered up J.S.

Were there any skills that were important in our handling of the matter that don't ordinarily come into play in regular practice?

Public policy research. We have to be able to look at the policy behind the law, because that's what's at stake here. Why did Norway choose to go with diversion and why did they pick the diversionary methods that they did? It expands horizons, gives us context, pulls us out of our black letter law work. It's nice to step outside that box and see that's where it all comes from.

What was the impact of your work on the client or its key stakeholders, the sector, the public?

Research by the ICPC, which also provides in-the-field technical assistance, adds to the body of applied research to inform local crime prevention strategies. We just had, on November 6–8, 2017, the organization's 12th Colloquium on crime prevention trends and strategies in the 21st century. Practitioners, as well as policy makers and academics, from across the globe shared their knowledge of the issues at stake and the best practices at  hand. The report Dentons contributed to fits that dynamic exactly: bringing together a comparative analysis of what works and hasn't worked to improve community safety. That's real impact.