The Use of Restorative Justice to Address Criminal Offending in Canada

Restorative Justice (RJ) is based on an understanding that crime causes harm to people and relationships, and it affects communities. RJ is an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about causes, circumstances, and impacts of crime, and to address their needs. RJ seeks to foster healing, reparation and reintegration, while also seeking to prevent future harm.