In Brief: Restorative Justice in the Criminal Context

Restorative justice is based on the principle that criminal behaviour harms not only the victim(s) of crime, but also the community and the wrongdoer(s) as well. Restorative justice responds to crime by addressing the harm caused to victims, holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions, and restoring relationships with the community.

From a restorative justice perspective, criminal behaviour is a violation committed against one individual by another and as a result, reparation is owed to the victim by the wrongdoer. The goals of restorative justice are to restore the losses suffered by victims of crime; repair the relationship between victims and wrongdoers; and reintegrate wrongdoers into the community. This resource provides an explanation of restorative justice in the criminal context with related worksheets.