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True Dialogue Restorative Justice Centre
​Restorative Justice Facilitation Services
A restorative response focuses on harm to people and relationships and is applicable in a criminal and non-criminal context. Facilitation services are available to convene a meeting involving the person causing harm, the person harmed, their supports, and the formal authority involved.
A restorative meeting offers a safe, respectful space for people to share their stories about what happened, and explore how people and relationships were impacted. The meeting ends with a discussion on what needs to happen to make things right, such as: how to repair the harm, promote healing, restore a sense of safety, a climate of respect, fix the problem, move forward.
The intent of restorative resolution services is to address the underlying reasons for hurtful/harmful behavior to promote safer, more connected families, workplaces, and communities.
Photo: Community Meeting on how to support Youth Involved in the Criminal Justice System, Fort McMurray, 2019
REFERRAL CRITERIA CONSIDERATIONS
Is there a specific incident to focus on? Is there an identifiable person who was harmed or a community impact?
Examples include:
- Harassment or threats to another person
- Violence or threat of violence
- Physical harm (to a person or a property)
- Disruption of someone’s social network has significant social repercussions, such as causing enough fear or humiliation for a victim to become isolated and impacted in daily life.
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Does the individual/s responsible acknowledge their role for the harm caused?
- If charges have not been laid (but could be), the individual can accept responsibility without conceding legal guilt (use of Police Discretion)
- If criminal charges have been laid, a guilty plea must be entered. If the person charged maintains innocence, a court trial is the appropriate route.
- For non-criminal misconduct incidents, restorative justice provides a voluntary option for resolution at the discretion of the involved parties.
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Are there secondary parties affected who could benefit from a restorative process to promote healing and reconciliation? Examples include:
- An incident is disruptive enough to jeopardize productivity, learning, and relationships
- Out of loyalty (family, friends, colleagues), escalate the conflict, attributing to the harmful incident and a toxic, psychologically unsafe environment.
- An individual is returning after being gone for some time, and there's a need to restore relationships to successfully reintegrate them (workplace, school, family, community)
- An incident causes an individual to worry about how safe the community is, even if their kin or other members are not directly harmed. ​
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Is this a general conflict? If the incident reflects a larger conflict, which is often the case when parties involved are friends, neighbors, or relatives, a restorative justice process ensures the integrity of all participants.