Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters
Download your FREE copy of the publication “Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters” by filling out the form below
During 2015-2016, Community Justice Initiatives BC (CJI) partnered with community agencies and practitioners across British Columbia to work toward the development of shared practice standards within the field of Restorative Justice. The resulting document, entitled “Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters” was the initial breakthrough in the development of Restorative Justice practitioner standards and improved relationships with participants and victims. We were very proud to be involved in such a ground-breaking project, and so we wanted to talk about why such a project was needed, especially if we wanted to break barriers and overcome challenges.
Why did we embark on this project?
Though British Columbia is recognised internationally as a leader in Restorative Justice practices, the potential of that field has yet to be fully realised. Part of the reason is lack of funding or referrals, however, there were other reasons behind the pushback, and we wanted to explore their source and origin. After all, how could we move forward when we didn’t understand what was holding us back?
What did we discover?
Over the past two years, many within B.C.’s Restorative Justice community were fortunate enough to engage stakeholders and referral sources, and to actively inquire about the opportunities and barriers facing Restorative Justice. A strong theme was identified: we needed to create a consistent standard of practice for Restorative Justice providers, particularly when it came to handling participants and victims of crime. For example, during the 2014 Vancouver symposium titled “Creativity and Caution: Exploring Appropriate Frameworks for Serving Victims within Restorative Justice Processes in BC.” one of the main learnings was that some victim service providers lacked assurance that Restorative Justice programs provided consistent, quality service in support of victims.
What were the outcomes of the inquiry?
In 2015, a group of Restorative Justice providers secured funding through the BC Ministry of Justice. With this, they were given the opportunity to explore victim-sensitive standards in Restorative Justice. They wanted to pave the way for strengthened relationships between Restorative Justice and its participants. Their efforts are still on-going, and we hope the process will have long-term positive impacts in a variety of areas, including Restorative Justice funding and referrals. We are also excited about this kind of participant engagement and hope that it will lead to a sustained and constructive dialogue about effective practices. One of our main goals at CJI has always been to better serve the needs of victims and to enhance the services we bring to them and others involved in Restorative Justice approaches in B.C.
The future of Restorative Justice is always evolving …
As programs work to implement and measure standards, we hope that they will be willing to share their efforts and learning with others. While there is currently no established way to share this kind of information, we hope that we can develop such a process, and we always welcome your creative ideas!
If you would like to share your thoughts on this document or how it may be used, please contact Aaron Lyons at aaronlyons@cjibc.org.
You can also download the full online publication free of charge by filling out the form below.
Document: “Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters”
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Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters
Download your FREE copy of the publication “Recommended Principles and Standards for Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters” by filling out the form below
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The 2015-2016 Working Group on Restorative Justice Standards included the following participants:
- Aaron Lyons and Christianne Paras, Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives
- Alana Abramson, Criminology Department, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
- Gillian Lindquist and Shanna Grant-Warmald, Restorative Justice Victoria
- Joanne Field, Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association
- Terri Kalaski, South Okanagan Restorative Justice/Terri L. Kalaski and Associates
