Author Description

Problems with the adversarial nature of the present justice system and its lack of involvement with victims and communities, especially among the Aboriginal community, have led to calls for a return to a fundamentally different way of approaching criminal justice that restores social relationships rather than simply punishes. This report begins with an overview of this 'restorative justice' approach and its potential for application in Aboriginal communities. This is followed by chapters that present a planning and evaluation framework to aid Aboriginal communities in implementing restorative justice programs. Topics covered include identification and description of justice problems and needs; developing an action plan; carrying out the action plan; and monitoring and evaluating the restorative justice program. The appendix includes a restorative justice/corrections planning checklist.