STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WEEK 2005

OTTAWA , November 14, 2005 – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Irwin Cotler, today released the following statement regarding Restorative Justice Week 2005:

“Traditional criminal law regards crime as an act against the State, yet crime in general, and for example, domestic violence or hate crimes in particular, are not matters of abstraction. They are crimes against a targeted victim, with correlative impacts on the victim’s family, and the community. Accordingly, I am pleased once again, to recognize a response to crime that is playing an increasingly important role in the administration of justice. Restorative justice is a concept that facilitates the reparation of harm caused by offending behaviours. It is an opportunity for victims to obtain validation of their experiences and illustrates to offenders the result of their actions, at an emotional level, on victims.

Restorative justice opens the door to a wide spectrum of options beyond fines and jail terms. Those options encourage meaningful input from the victim, and other members of the community who may have been affected by the wrongful behaviour. It is a chance to do what is right, for all concerned.

From what I have heard as I travel throughout the country, restorative justice elements and principles are embedded in a variety of innovative criminal justice programs. Just last week at the meeting of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Justice in Whitehorse, my colleagues and I learned more about the highly successful Domestic Violence Treatment Option Court in that city.

The Yukon is one of a number of jurisdictions across Canada which has established these therapeutic courts which resonate with the fundamental elements of restorative justice. The DVTO recognizes that:

• Domestic violence is a violation of relationships between people;
• Crimes of domestic violence result in harm to victims, families, communities, and offenders;
• Restoration, problem solving, and prevention of future harm need to be emphasized;
• Domestic violence requires a therapeutic response that addresses offender accountability, treatment, and a focus on the needs of victims; and
• Offenders must be held accountable to their victims and to the community while under court supervision by addressing behavioural changes.

Restorative Justice Week is an opportunity to acknowledge these kinds of innovative approaches and to thank the hundreds of professionals and volunteers from coast to coast involved in implementing restorative-based programs. Their work is making an important contribution to the maintenance of a just, safe and peaceful society.”

- 30 -

Ref.:
Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621