Montreal, Quebec
H2R 2E5
514-933-3737
csjr@csjr.org
85580 0736 RR0001
Canada Revenue Agency:
1888 892 566
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In 2010, the CSJR is changing its image. We have a new brochure, website, bulletin, location, coordinator and members on the Board of Directors.
This makeover is part of a nine-year wind of change that has seen restorative justice prove its merits in Quebec and is now sweeping other countries.
At this time, our thoughts turn especially to our friends at the INAVEM , in France, who are planning their first Victim-Offender Encounter in 2010, after a year of exchanges and training.
WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?
Restorative justice puts forth a new model of justice. It deals with the repercussions of the criminal act: the hurt, the trauma, and the harm done to victims.
Restorative justice enables victims to talk about their suffering with their offenders (or with offenders who have committed similar crimes), get answers to their questions, and rid themselves of negative and harmful emotions. It allows offenders to realize the seriousness of their act by listening to victims, to better understand the repercussions of their actions, and to express their regrets.
Oriented towards the future rather than towards the past, restorative justice aims at promoting solutions suited to victims, offenders and the community (family, neighbours, friends, coworkers). In the judicial system, victims are often forgotten, stripped of their power, and forced to give the Crown complete control over the case. Restorative justice allows victims who want to play an active role in the resolution of their conflict to do so.
In a nutshell, the goal of restorative justice is not to punish, but rather to repair damages (psychological and/or material), to restore broken relationships when possible, to foster reconciliation between parties, and to restore a feeling of safety in the community.
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