Canadians indicated that they are not very familiar with restorative justice (RJ), but after receiving an explanation, the majority of Canadians support the use of RJ and see the process as an effective way to repair the harms caused by crime.
What we also found:
Most Canadians (87%) indicated that victims should be able to meet with the offender and tell them about the impacts of the crime if they wish to do so. Over half (64%) of Canadians indicated that RJ should be available to all victims and offenders, regardless of the offence type, as long as both the victim and offender want to take part in the process and the offender admits his or her guilt.
Given the lack of knowledge about RJ, it is not surprising that some Canadians (39%) still have questions or concerns about the RJ process. These concerns lie primarily around the potential to hold people accountable (78%), who is eligible to participate (69%) and the RJ process itself (49%).