Serious Habitual Offender Program (SHOP)

A disproportionate amount of crime is committed by a very small percentage of young habitual offenders. The Serious Habitual Offender Program (SHOP) is a community-based crime intervention program focused on prevention, reduction and enforcement, targeting habitual youth and young adult offenders aged 12 to 24. The SHOP team monitors roughly 80 SHOP offenders at any one time. The goal of the program is to reduce criminal recidivism.

How SHOP works

Potential program participants are selected and referred to SHOP through a Multi-Disciplinary Resource Team (MDRT) consisting of external partner agencies.

After selection by the MDRT, SHOP officers and a registered social worker develop a profile of each youth, looking at criminal, family, psychological history and other relevant factors.

SHOP officers monitor activities and investigate criminal offences committed by these youth. The officers, in consultation with the registered social worker, have access to rehabilitation programs and, once any sentence has been served, assure their compliance with court orders and connect them with others who can help reintegrate them into society.

Participants are retired from the SHOP program once the goal of crime reduction is achieved.

Who is selected for SHOP?

SHOP is mandatory and selection criteria includes the following risk factors:

• ​number, type and seriousness of criminal offences committed
• recency and chronicity
• degree of risk to public safety
• amenability to supervision, treatment and intervention
• family and educational risk factors
• untreated substance abuse and mental health issues
• negative peer association

Program partners and objectives

SHOP partners with key community organizations, including:

• Crown Prosecutors
• Calgary Young Offenders Centre
• Calgary Youth Attendance Centre
• Children Services
• Alberta Heath Services – Forensic Adolescent Program
• Youth Probation Services
• Calgary Board of Education
• Calgary Catholic School Board

The mandate of SHOP is to collaborate with external partners to ensure adequate support and supervision are provided to selected youth.