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Diverse Applications of Restorative Justice

Nov 23, 2021

Celebrating and promoting the diverse and innovative ways we are implementing restorative approaches!

And we continue to update this post with resources.

Spotlighting 4 areas and offering resources for RJ and:

♦  Environment
♦  Hate Crimes
♦  Sexual Offences
♦  Education

 

Environmental Restorative Justice

Now more than ever we need to honour and respect our interdependency with all the natural world. Indigenous laws, teachings and ways of being have so much to teach us.

"The earth is not ours, it is a treasure we hold in trust for our children and grand-children. We must be worthy of that trust." ∼ African proverb, shared by Kofi Annan

Check out resources:

A part of effective solutions to the interconnected climate, biodiversity and pandemic crises is to re-wild. Applauding Re:wild with Leonardo DiCaprio, scientists, Indigenous peoples and leaders working to protect and restore - for all wildkind!

"Climate disputes are not merely legal controversies but governance conflicts rooted in shared ecological risk and intergenerational responsibility… Restoration - ecological, social, and institutional - should become the organising principle of climate conflict resolution”
∼ Anil Changaroth and Lenny Rahman

 

Hate Crime & Restorative Justice

People too often turn against each other in judgment and violence. Restorative approaches have something powerful to offer for identify-based and hate crimes.

Why Me? Completed a three-year project to increase access to restorative justice for hate crime in the UK.

Hate Crime Video Series by RJ4All.

The project Let's Go By Talking is exploring innovative paths through restorative justice for victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes. Coordinated by the Universitat de Barcelona, with a team led by Dr Olga Jubany.

Sulah - Community Justice Initiatives and the Coalition of Muslim Women Kitchener-Waterloo have partnered to offer restorative responses to identity-based harm.

In the news:

Book: “Hate Crime and Restorative Justice: Exploring Causes, Repairing Harms” by Mark Austin Walters; and he has written articles like “Repairing the Harms of Hate Crime: Towards a Restorative Justice Approach”

And publications by Theo Gavrielides, including "Contextualizing Restorative Justice for Hate Crime".

Look at the work and publications of the “Working Group on Polarisation, Hate and Violent Extremism”, European Forum for Restorative Justice.

There are many more great resources to become aware and overcome racism and prejudice. For example, we recommend "How To Be An Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi.

Life After Hate, founded by former extremists, is committed to helping people leave the violent far-right to connect with our shared humanity and lead compassionate lives.

It's time to lift each other up, rather than tear each other down. There is no 'us' and 'them', it's just us.

For inspiration and uplifting examples, read our prior post "Humanity in the face of Extremism".

 

Restorative Justice for Sexual Offences

We stand with victims/survivors for their right to restorative justice. As this quote in an article from Community Legal Centres NSW says, we need to offer those who are harmed informed choices, including restorative justice. It is often also the law, like the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

Marlee Liss made history when her sexual assault case became the 1st in North America to conclude with restorative justice through the courts. She is now an advocate and founded a global coalition, Survivors for Justice Reform. This coalition of survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, and systemic harm - alongside allies - are challenging the failures of punitive, carceral systems and advocating for restorative and transformative justice.

A report by Why Me? "Using restorative approaches for domestic and sexual abuse: A personal choice", 2021.

We also must work with those who harm. Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA): reducing sexual victimization by assisting people who have committed sexual offences to lead responsible, constructive, and accountable lives in their communities. Programs are offered in Canada and beyond.

⇒ Webinar: Managing Sexual Offenders and reintegration into the community of persons convicted of a sexual offense. Organized by Criminal Justice Platform Europe

There are various additional resources, such as:

There are many inspiring stories from survivors and those with lived experience.

We applaud and encourage you to learn about support services in your region. In Vancouver, BC, we are grateful for our colleagues at Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre

* Trigger warning - some details of harm are included in the following articles:

 

Restorative Practices in Education

Restorative practices are expanding in schools around the world! A restorative lens offers an approach to teaching, learning and building healthy school communities. Creating schools without punishment is possible. We recommend a whole school and whole school district approach.

There are many opportunities to engage and learn!

We offer lots of resources in our prior post dedicated to this topic - Education: Time for Change

See also the work and resources of the Restorative Schools Working Group, European Forum for Restorative Justice. For example, their free downloadable publication "Restorative Schools".

Watch for events and offerings like webinars ongoing around the world. Just one example:

⇒ Webinar with resources: Restorative School Culture
with Michelle Stowe (Ireland) and Nancy Riestenberg (USA)
Co-organized by European Forum for Restorative Justice and National Association of Community and Restorative Justice

The Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice offers resources, including ongoing webinars and recordings of past webinars, all freely available.

We are delighted to work with schools, including the Sea to Sky School District and Vancouver School District. Check out our social media for information and celebrations of this work! We also offer some short videos of training with the Sea to Sky School District on our new YouTube channel.

 

Let us know - What are your inspirations and examples? We'd love to hear from you!