In May 1974 Elmira residents awoke to find that their community had been vandalized. Two teenaged boys had damaged 22 homes and businesses.
Mark Yantzi, working as a fill-in probation officer, was given the case. Yantzi successfully argued that the boys and the community would benefit from the perpetrators meeting the victims, apologizing and offering restitution.
The Elmira Case represents the beginning of a social movement to change the way in which Canadians deal with crime.
