Summary
Restorative justice processes are growing in importance as an alternative justice measure in Canada and in many other countries around the world. While some advocates argue that they ought to be used more extensively than they are at the present time, others remain skeptical that restorative justice can be a significant component of a comprehensive criminal justice system. While restorative justice programs exist in many Canadian communities and elsewhere, some would argue that there is still only limited acceptance of this alternative response to crime. One of the reasons for this may be the failure to appreciate how much more effective restorative justice can be in reducing further offending in comparison to traditional approaches for certain types of offenders. With the above in mind, the authors of this report conducted a preliminary study to examine recidivism rates from a restorative justice program operating in a community in British Columbia, Canada.