Reduction in Youth Justice Involvement

Reducing the number of youth involved with the justice system, the Youth Justice Social Impact Bond, supports youth aged 12 to 18 years of age currently under restorative justice, community service orders and/or custody.

Manitoba is currently seeking a service provider to partner with to create a Youth Justice Social Impact Bond. The government will work with a service provider to implement a three-year program in Winnipeg and Thompson, with a holistic approach grounded in Indigenous traditions and knowledge. The program will provide services to support the whole person including the youths’ natural and/or found families, mental health needs, and employment skills development and/or education.

The program will be funded through a social impact bond, and will be the first Justice SIB in Manitoba.

How the bond works.

The Government of Manitoba will sign a performance-based contract with a service provider committed to delivering the outcomes laid out in the contract. The amount the Government of Manitoba will pay is linked to how well the program delivers on targets for youth participation and outcomes, with better results triggering higher payouts for investors . Importantly, the Government of Manitoba will only pay out once it has proof from an independent evaluator that the program has delivered.

If the program performs well, the service provider will use the funds it receives from the Government of Manitoba to repay the investors with a reasonable rate of return. However, if it doesn’t meet expectations, investors stand to lose most of their capital.

Why use a social impact bond?

The focus of the program is to reduce the number of youth involved with the criminal justice system. Preventative programs are often the hardest to secure funding for because often governments often have to prioritize acute short term needs.

Using a social impact bond allows the service provider to attract funding from government and private investors to support this prevention initiative. It provides a stable source of funding for the life of the project, enabling the service provider to concentrate on delivering the best possible outcomes for the youth enrolled. It also enables them to adapt the program in real time to meet its targets.

Outcomes are proven and savings are realized before government pays.

Reduction in Youth Justice in Numbers