Restorative Justice: Building Healthy Communities

Think about a time when you were involved in a conflict, be it at work, home, or in your community. How did you feel during the conflict? What were your needs in that situation, and were they satisfied? If not, what would a satisfying outcome have been for you?

When we think of community, we may think of a local geographic area or neighbourhood. Community, however, is not a place, it is people. A restorative justice process brings together the personal community of the victim and offender; family members, neighbours, friends and other support persons.

We have the right to feel safe and secure. Restorative justice helps communities build a sense of safety and a capacity for collective action by enabling community members to be active in responding to crime and conflict.

Crime affects everyone and we need to work together to repair the harm done and create safer communities. Restorative justice actively involves community members by providing an opportunity to take responsibility for, and actively participate in achieving justice in the community; focus on the causes of crime and do something about them; support the victim; and ensure that there are opportunities in the community for the offender to make amends.

The real essence of restorative justice is in a face-to-face meeting between the victim, offender and community members. During the meeting, everyone is given a chance to talk about the crime from their perspective and about their concerns and feelings. Conducted by trained facilitators, this meeting helps all parties develop a better understanding of the crime, of each other, and of the steps needed to make amends. The meeting concludes with an agreement outlining how the offender will repair the harm caused by the crime.

The modern phrase, restorative justice, is a way of thinking about crime and conflict that helps to build a promising road toward safer communities.

"The (restorative justice process) we're trying to do in my community is not just about offenders and victims, not just about crime, but about all of us working together, learning about each other, learning how to help each other, to grow and heal together," said Harold Gatensby of Yukon College. "It gives me hope, you know, to think about how my energy need not be taken up in anger, but in learning about how to live together and respect our differences."