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The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: lectures, guest speakers, group work and a high degree of class participation. |
- The Philosophical Shift to Restorative Justice
- The values and philosophy and retributive justice
- Shifting the view from crime against the State
- Viewing crime as a violation of people and relationships
- Broadening the view of victim and including all those affected
- Healing and putting right the wrongs
- Focusing on restoring, healing, and reintegrating, not punishing and separating
- Principles of Restorative Justice
- Identifying and defining the stakeholders (i.e. offender, victim, and community)
- Maximizing input and opportunity for communication
- Defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
- Obliging the offender
- Empowering the victim
- Involving the community
- The History of Restorative Justice
- Religious roots
- Contributions of Indigenous peoples
- International & political contributions
- Entering the mainstream 1970s, the explosion of programs in the 1990s, and current initiatives
- Restorative Justice Strategies
- International and Canadian examples of restorative justice initiatives
- Use in the CJS (e.g. victim offender mediation, family group conferencing, circle sentencing)
- Restorative Justice in schools, workplaces, communities, prisons (e.g. programs & peacemaking circles)
- Government & Institutional Involvement
- Legislative and policy direction for restorative justice (federal and international)
- Positioning within and outside of the criminal justice system
- Assessing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs
- Research and evaluating restorative justice programs
- Guarding against co-opting restorative justice for punitive ends, undue offender orientation, expansion of social control or budget cut backs
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Compare and contrast retributive and restorative justice, describing the faith and value basis of each paradigm.
- Describe the history of the restorative justice movement.
- Identify the central principles of restorative justice.
- Explain the roles of the victim, the offender and the community in restorative justice.
- Explain the role of the police and government in restorative justice.
- Describe victim offender mediation processes.
- Describe the victim offender reconciliation process.
- Describe circle sentencing.
- Describe family group conferencing.
- Describe peacemaking circles.
- Identify current initiatives in restorative justice both in Canada and elsewhere.
- Describe the role of religion in restorative justice.
- Discuss the process and tools for assessing and evaluating restorative justice programs.
- Recognize the ways in which restorative justice is co-opted for social control, for punitive ends and for budget constraint.
- Recognize the depth of restorative justice as a paradigm shift rather than a program through full participation in the course activities.
- Improve communication skills through participation in circles and class/group exercises.
The evaluation will be based on the course objectives and in accordance with ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½policy. The instructor will provide specific evaluation requirements to the student at the beginning of the semester. Students may be required to complete in-class examinations, student presentations, essays, term papers, journal entries and comprehensive final examinations. Part of each class will be conducted in a workshop or experiential learning format requiring participation. An example of one possible evaluation scheme would be:
| Participation and attendance | 15% |
| Midterm #1 | 25% |
| Midterm #2 | 25% |
| Term paper and presentation | 25% |
| Final Quiz | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
Texts will be updated with new editions as needed. Typical examples are:
Elliott, Elizabeth M. (2011). Security with Care: Restorative Justice and Healthy Societies, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing.
Zehr, Howard. (2015). The Little Book of Restorative Justice, Intercourse, Pennsylvania: Good Books.