What It Is

While Restorative Justice has its roots in Christianity and Aboriginal culture, it is only relatively recently that people have begun to consider its application to the criminal justice system. The reasons that it is now being considered are because it is seen to be a better approach to justice and our criminal justice system cannot keep up with the demands being made on it.

Purpose's Role

Purpose has received a nine-month grant from the Federal Justice Department to hire an employee whose job it is to inform and educate the community regarding restorative justice and, subsequently, assist the community to develop programs. This project has taken a significant period of time because many people in the community do not know about, or understand what restorative justice is. In addition, Restorative Justice requires a philosophical shift in how we view offenders.

Justice is being done in a restorative manner when the process:

• focuses on crime's harms rather than rules broken, shows equal concern to victims and offenders, and involves both
• works toward restoring victims, empowering them and responding to their needs as the victims see them
• supports offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations
• recognizes that while offenders' obligations may be difficult, they should not be intended as pain
• provides opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victim and offender, as appropriate
• finds meaningful ways to involve the community and to respond to causes of crime in the community
• encourages collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation for the offender
• pays attention to unintended consequences arising from restorative justice efforts
• respects all parties - victims, offenders, justice colleagues

There are four basic designs for restorative justice programs:

• Family Group Conference
• Community Accountability Panels
• Sentencing Circles
• Victim-Offender Reconciliation Programs

There are no 'individual' clients in this program. The community is receiving education and assistance in implementing a restorative justice program (if the community decides that this is appropriate). The contract is in the fifth month and progress is slow as New Westminster is generally a conservative community.

Although there are many people in New Westminster who support the concept of restorative justice, the police play a pivotal role in establishing restorative justice programs and they have been slow to accept this new idea. They have suggested that it is just another 'attorney general scheme' which will disappear in time. However, there are many restorative justice programs in the province. Evaluation of these programs by the Attorney General's office show that they are effective in certain areas. For example, family violence cases are not considered appropriate for referral to restorative justice programs. Looking at the activities throughout the province, it appears that restorative justice is the way of the future.