Bridging Justices presents the perspectives of Ontario staff and volunteers within the gender-based violence (GBV) sector on access to restorative justice for sexual harm.
WHAT IS RESTORATIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE?
Restorative and transformative justice (RJ/TJ) is an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by bringing together the person who was hurt and the person who hurt them to discuss what happened and what must be done in the aftermath of the harm.
The three main goals of RJ/TJ are:
- Healing the harm a survivor has experienced
- Holding the person who caused harm responsible for their actions
- Preventing future harm and violence
BRIDGING JUSTICES REPORT
Bridging Justices: A Critical Exploration of Moratoriums on Restorative and Transformative Justice for Sexual Harm in Ontario builds on LEAF’s 2023 Avenues to Justice report that concluded that there was a need to reevaluate provincial and territorial policies limiting or prohibiting diversion under s. 717 of the Criminal Code. This includes Ontario Crown Policy D.4, which prohibits the use of s. 717 – and therefore restorative justice – for all sexual offences.
The report makes six policy recommendations:
- Amend Crown Policy D.4 to allow diversion under s. 717 for sexual offences
- Provide public education on non-criminal legal options for sexual harm
- Conduct province-wide community consultation on restorative and transformative justice implementation
- Fund and launch restorative and transformative justice 3-year pilot sites for sexual harm
- Support Indigenous sovereignty and legal revitalization
- Provide sustainable provincial funding for restorative and transformative justice education and capacity building
Download the Report Summary and Full Report.
Le sommaire du rapport est aussi disponible en français.
Want to learn more about R/TJ? Check out our two-pager.
TAKE ACTION
Tell your elected officials that it’s time to reform Crown policy D.4 and promote survivor autonomy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Project team: Mandi Gray (Trent University), Jessica Evans (Toronto Metropolitan University), Kate Crozier (Community Justice Initiatives), Cee Strauss and Rosel Kim (LEAF). The project was supported by research assistants Sabrina Dourado-Jaffer, Christian Denino, and Zana Palomino.
This project, funded by SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant (PEG) (Application 892-2023-3010) and the McConnell Foundation, is a collaborative effort between Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) and LEAF.
