Restorative Justice An alternative approach Elmira - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Restorative Justice

An alternative approach

Elmira

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/elmira-case- restorative-justice-russ-kelly-drunken-rampage-1.3300370

Theory of Restorative Justice

Theory of Restorative Justice Cont’d

• "retributjve justjce", based on punishment;
• "distributjve justjce", involving therapeutjc treatment of ofgenders;
• "restoratjve justjce", based on restjtutjon with input from victjms and ofgenders
• How is restoratjve justjce defjned? "Restoratjve justjce is a process to involve, to the extent

possible, those who have a stake in a specifjc ofgence and to collectjvely identjfy and address harms, needs and obligatjons, in order to heal and put things as right as possible." Howard Zehr in The Litule Book of Restoratjve Justjce[36]

• What does restoratjve justjce try to do? "Restoratjve justjce requires, at minimum, that we

address victjms' harms and needs, hold ofgenders accountable to put right those harms, and involve victjms, ofgenders, and communitjes in this process." Howard Zehr in The Litule Book of Restoratjve Justjce

Edmonton Institution for Women

Creating Community Program

• MCCA has run this program for 30 years. There is a need for visitatjons inside prisons to encourage personal growth,

provide encouragement, respect, and acceptance through positjve healthy relatjonships. Studies show that those who live isolated lives are more likely to re-ofgend than those who become socially integrated.

• Inmates in our instjtutjons ofuen fjnd themselves in a dilemma - who should they trust? There are lots of “red fmags”

around trustjng fellow inmates who are ofuen people from similar broken backgrounds. Trustjng Instjtutjonal stafg presents a problem of reportjng. Anything said or done can go into fjles that will follow the inmate throughout his/her

• incarceratjon. So to a large extent, life in prison is life in a world of suspicion.
• The Creatjng Community events present a whole difgerent dynamic. They are voluntary – on both sides – and nothing

said is reported. The events provide a sense of briefmy “leaving” the confjnes and politjcs of jail. So building trust over tjme is the botuom line of the Creatjng Community program.

• Creatjng Community works to prepare, establish, and sustain healthy pro-social opportunitjes to accompany
• fgenders as they develop as individuals. We provide this pro-social context for interactjon together with commitued,

well-trained volunteers. We believe these visits, along with fostering trust, are the foundatjon to building appropriate relatjonships and developing a healthy sense of self.

My Role

• The Women
• The Institution
• Education

Stories

Questions?