Remember “show and tell” time when you were small? It wasn’t “tell and show” time. It’s “show”, first, for a reason. A local ‘show’ came my way this week. It was from the terrific folks at Restorative Justice Victoria.
Restorative Justice video
(video not displaying? click here to watch it on Youtube)
Restorative Justice Victoria’s (RJ Victoria) video will help their young clients (e.g., youth referred to restorative justice by a local partner) get oriented to the restorative justice process. The video was funded by Telus, a major telco in these parts.
Restorative Justice Victoria runs a Diversion Program, where offenders are referred either pre- or post-charge and are held accountable by the victims and community without receiving a criminal record. Offenders are mostly referred via: Victoria Police Department, Oak Bay Police Department, Crown, Insurance Corporation of BC, and the University of Victoria. Individuals and businesses can also refer.
At the heart of the program is a Restorative Justice Dialogue:
“This is our default model for most cases. Participants typically include two facilitators; the offender and his/her supporters; the victim and his/her supporters; a mentor to the offender (mandatory) and to the victim (optional); relevant community members; and the arresting/investigating police officer(s). After the facilitators guide the participants through structured and unstructured conversation, a consensus-based agreement is created that focuses on repairing the harm and addressing contributing factors of the offence. RJDs incorporate elements of conferencing, peacemaking circles and victim-offender mediation. It is extremely flexible, responsive, and tailored to the needs of clients.rds alone can’t. The language, the music, the scenes, etc.”
The video communicates the restorative justice process in ways that words alone, can’t.
Do you know a thing or two about RJ? RJ Victoria is looking for feedback on the video. Or, maybe even better, you’re a youth, or young offender, reading this. Regardless, you can contact RJ Victoria through their website, or give me your comments (via the blog comment block below) and I’ll pass them on to the RJ folks. Thanks in advance.
[Note: I’m a big fan of RJ, and RJ Victoria. Check out some of my RJ posts from previous years; e.g., Restorative Justice: A community response when bad things happen, Restorative Justice: The people are more than ready for it, and did my own “show and tell”, about RJ Victoria’s E.D., Gillian Lindquist: Community Connector.]
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