Restorative Justice
Restorative justice came into the system from Aboriginal justice traditions. Restorative justice emphasizes the wrong done to a person as well as the wrong done to the community. It recognizes that crime is both a violation of relationships between specific people and an offence against everyone (the state).
In restorative justice programs, the victim of the crime, the offender and, ideally, members of the community voluntarily participate in discussions. The goal is
- to restore the relationship;
- to fix the damage that has been done; and
- to prevent further crimes from occurring.
Restorative justice requires wrongdoers
- to recognize the harm they have caused;
- to accept responsibility for their actions;
- to be actively involved in improving the situation; and
- to make amends to victims and the community.
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