What is Restorative Justice?

"Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions, by providing an opportunity for the parties directly affected by the crime - victim(s), offender and community - to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime, and seek a resolution that affords healing, reparation and reintegration, and prevents future harm".

Dr. Robert B. Cormier
Senior Director
Corrections Research and Development
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

The Collaborative Justice Program began September 1, 1998 as a demonstration project at the Ottawa Provincial Courthouse. The Program was inititally sponsored by the Church Council on Justice and Corrections (CCJC). CCJC is a national, ecumenical, bilingual charitable organization mandated to assist churches and communities to reflect on and more deeply engage issues in the field of criminal justice.

The purpose of the pilot was to demonstrate that the application of a restorative approach in cases of serious adult or youth crime, would provide for a more satisfying experience of justice for all parties involved, for the victim(s), offender(s) and the community. We recognize that serious crime usually involves a greater degree of impact and therefore contributes to a greater need for a restorative approach.

Though the Program's priority will always be the more serious cases, CJP has evolved over the past 13 years to allow the acceptance of post-charge/pre-sentence cases, adult and youth, regardless of level of seriousness.

We work with adult or youth cases where:

• the accused has accepted responsibility for the harm done and has a desire to make amends, and
• the victim is interested in participating in a reparative process

CJP offers individual support to those affected by crime as the criminal justice process unfolds. The caseworker supports victims in identifying and addressing their needs while ensuring that the offender understands the impact of his/her behaviour. It provides opportunities for both parties, if they desire, to work together on healing and resolution.

Referrals to the Program come from a number of sources including judges, crown attorneys, defence counsel, police and probation officers. Individuals may contact the Program to see if their particular case meets CJP's criteria for acceptance.