Restorative Practice Resources Tagged With: victim

Notes for an address by The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, PC, QC, MP Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, September 13, 2018

Extract: The first initiative is expanding the use of restorative justice, which emphasizes repairing the relationship between the victim and the offender.

Restorative justice is focused more on collaboration and inclusivity, and is often more culturally relevant and responsive to specific communities. Victims have a powerful voice, and this process allows them to be heard and to heal, while at the same time, holding the offender accountable for their actions.

In this sense, I sometimes view restorative justice as acting as a kind of “circuit-breaker” from the cycle that so many find themselves caught in.

While restorative justice has been part of Canada’s criminal justice system for over 40 years, and has proven effective over that period, it is still not widely available across the country.

A 2011 Department of Justice Canada report found that Indigenous people who completed a community-based alternative to mainstream justice, such as restorative justice, were significantly less likely to re-offend than those who did not. I am committed to expanding this resource so it can be more widely used and accepted across the country.

Academic article:

Extract: Analysis of the surveys completed by conference participants show that the majority of victims, victim support persons, offenders and offender support persons were satisfied with the conference process and outcome of the conference. Overall, 93% of all conference participants (victims, offenders, and supporters) reported being pleased with the outcome of their conference, and between 97 and 99% of all participants and felt treated with respect, able to say what they wanted as part of the process, that the process was fair for them and the offender, and that their rights had been respected.

Dr. Howard Zehr, also known as the “grandfather of restorative justice,” has been documenting the impact of life sentences since the 1970s. Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on collaboration and communication between the offender and the victim.

His new book Still Doing Life: 22 Lifers, 25 Years Later, checks in with individuals serving life sentences in Pennsylvania. The book is a sequel to his 1996 work Doing Life, which introduces the individuals and shares their stories.

'A global eConference for Restorative Justice advocates, practitioners and academics. Your ticket gets you full onine access.

Over 100 presenters from 23 countries!

Share and learn about applying restorative justice to: Criminal Justice / Youth Justice / Prisons Legal and Judicial / Environmental Justice / Victim support / Schools / Faith / Academic / Hate Crime / Extremism / Literature / Sexual Violence / Creative Arts / Training /'

'Two of our speakers examine the progress in restorative cities.

Grazia Mannozzi is professor of “Criminal Law” and of “Restorative Justice and Victim-offender Mediation” at the University of Insubria (Como – Italy).

Chris Straker is co-founder of the Hull Centre for Restorative Practice in 2007. During his leadership there, The Hull Centre became known nationally as ‘progressive’ in restorative practice and its application across agencies working with families and young people.'

'Share and learn about applying restorative justice to: Criminal Justice / Youth Justice / Prisons Legal and Judicial / Environmental Justice / Victim support / Schools / Faith / Academic / Hate Crime / Extremism / Literature / Sexual Violence / Creative Arts / Training www.rjworld2020.com'

'Myth 3: Restorative justice requires forgiveness and becoming friends with the offender. Fact: The victim in a restorative program is not under any pressure or compulsion to forgive or reconcile with the offender. RJ simple engineers the process that helps the victim get answers to their toughest questions'

'From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia come the powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion. RISKING LIGHT is a thought-provoking documentary that explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, RISKING LIGHT challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and ask “What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?”'

'From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia come the powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion. RISKING LIGHT is a thought-provoking documentary that explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, RISKING LIGHT challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and ask “What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?”'

'A mediator, facilitator, and trainer in private practice, Susan Sharpe wrote this book on behalf of the Edmonton Victim Offender Mediation Society, now the Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre. The purpose for the book is to help communities establish and sustain sound restorative justice practices and programs.'

'Restorative justice is an internationally recognised evidence-based response to criminal behaviour. It views a criminal offence as more than an act of breaking the law and examines: the impact on society the harm caused to the victim, family relationships and the community. The restorative justice process requires effort and participation from the child, which differs from traditional justice responses.'

'We ultimately pulled our son from the district. I am a career educator and strong believer in public education. But I am a mom first. The school’s handling of my son’s torment and subsequently proposed solutions were unacceptable and there was not a chance I would keep my son in a school where their only way of protecting him was to change his schedule and dismiss him early. The “restorative” circle he sat in, bravely facing his aggressors, only made him a target for more torment. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still believe that restorative justice is a much-needed practice, but I can’t support the way it is being used as a consequence. If and when it’s implemented well, I’m on board. The reality is that theory and practice are very different things. My research of the theory convinced me that I should introduce restorative justice in my school, but my research on the practice in similar schools and districts had changed my mind. '

'Restorative Justice, is one aspect of criminal justice reform. Restorative justice is a theory that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. It focuses on mediation and community building to provide a better understanding of how both the victim and offender were truly impacted by the incident. Community advocates of restorative justice can organize a meeting between the victim, offender, and/or other harmed community members to address all of the harms and have each party member decide together how to hold the offender accountable and restore the community again.'

'Keeping Them Connected: Restorative Justice in Schools in Australia and New Zealand – what progress? The traditional response of schools to school discipline is based on the retributive approach which has long characterised the criminal justice system. Research now indicates that this approach generally fails to satisfy the victim, the offender and the community. In the context of criminal offending, attention is increasingly being paid to the application of restorative practices. In New Zealand the restorative justice model has been operating since 1989 for youth offending and is now being implemented in the context of adult offending also. The Australian states and territories are following to varying degrees. Restorative practices move the focus from punishing the offender to requiring them to take responsibility for their actions. Because of this focus they are not seen as a ‘soft option’, and there are many indications of their success. Many schools are now applying this model to school discipline. A variety of different practices are being employed to keep young people in school and connected with the education process, while still not compromising school safety. This article explores the incorporation of restorative practices as alternative and proactive responses to behavioural problems within some Australian and New Zealand schools. The focus here is on particular restorative practices with the acknowledgement that there is a much wider picture which involves changes in school cultures to embrace, in a practical manner, principles of citizenship and democracy. This concept is the subject of significant research which is discussed by the author in a previous article.

'The Restorative Justice Project was first created in 1987 to serve victims and survivors in the aftermath of serious crimes. Through its victim-offender dialogue program the project offers the opportunity for victim survivors, and their relatives, to meet with and have questions answered by the individual who committed a crime against them. RJI is pleased to showcase the excellent work of the Restorative Justice Project under Jonathan Scharrer’s leadership. Law schools should follow the example of the University of Wisconsin Law School and consider creating similar restorative justice projects like this model project. We need more lawyers who understand the great value of restorative justice for victims, offenders and communities. The Restorative Justice Project is an affiliate member of RJI.'