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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 Douglas College policy. 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.