csjr.org
CENTRE for SERVICES in RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
 
 
 
NEWS !!!
 
 Next RDV
 
September 2007
 
 
CONTACT US
TEL:  (514) 933-3737
Email: csjr@csjr.org
Adress
4305 Iberville, #202
Montréal Québec
H2H 2L5
 
 
A lesson in restorative justice :
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Click the restorative justice tree
 
 
 
Our slogan for 2007 : Rebirth !  WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ? Restorative justice offers a different way of looking at justice. It is focused on the consequences of a criminal act: the hurt, the trauma, and the harm done to the victim. Who is involved in a Restorative Justice approach? * The Victim Too often, victims (primary or secondary) do not have the opportunity to express their pain, their fears and their questions. *The Offender Offenders usually are isolated & unaware of the seriousness of the offense and the consequences of their actions on their victims. *The Community A criminal act has repercussions on the people around both victim and offender: family members, neighbours, community organisations… *The mediator Trained professionals and volunteers facilitate meetings between victims and offenders in a safe and respectful environment. Restorative justice allows the victim: • to share their pain with an offender (or with similar offenders who have committed similar crimes), 
• to get answers to questions they may have
• to release any negative feelings they may have kept inside. Restorative justice allows offenders:
• to realize the impact of their actions by listening to the victims. With a better understanding, they can express their regrets to the victims. Oriented towards the future rather than towards the past, restorative justice aims to promote solutions suited to the victim, the offender and the community involved (family, neighbours, friends, co-workers…). Whereas they are too often forgotten by the judicial system, powerless and forced to leave up to the Crown the entire responsibility of their case, restorative justice grants victims, who wish to, to take an active role in the resolution of their conflict.   In a nutshell, restorative justice has for its mission not to punish, but rather to repair damages (psychological and/or material), to restore broken relationships, and if possible, to foster the reconciliation between two people, thus restoring a feeling of safety to the community. Let Justice be done ! Often times, there are serious repercussions on the lives of victims of crime & their loved ones. Our justice system though, focuses more on “punishing” the act, instead of taking into consideration the harm done to the victim. There is little thought to restoration. Is justice truly served, when a person is found guilty and sentenced? The CENTRE for SERVICES in RESTORATIVE JUSTICE seeks to promote an alternative option to the judicial system, another form of justice: the restorative justice model. You have been a victim of a criminal act? The CSJR can help !