A trained facilitator will meet with you and your family or support person to ensure you understand the process, to help prepare you for a meeting with the person who harmed you and to answer any questions you or your family may have.
The facilitator will ask you:
- What happened?
- What impact has the incident had on you and those close to you?
- What has been the hardest thing for you?
- What would you like to say to the person who caused the harm?
- What do you think needs to happen to address the harm and make things right?
- What will help you to feel safe and supported during the meeting with the person who has caused you the harm?
Following this first meeting with the facilitator, if you are in agreement, steps will be made to set up a conference with you and your family or support person, the person who caused you harm and their family or support person, the police officer who referred your case, two facilitators and any other individuals such as victim support services or community members who are deemed important to be present to complete the restorative justice process.
At the conference, everyone will sit in a circle and be assigned a place to sit. You will sit next to your parent or support persons. Everyone will be asked to introduce themselves and will have name tents in front of their chairs so you will know who is there by name.
The facilitator will start by asking the person who caused you harm to share their perspective on what happened, what they did, what they were thinking at the time, who they think was impacted by the harm and how and what they have thought about since the event.
Next, you will be asked to share your story- what happened, what you thought when it happened, who has been impacted and how, what has been the hardest thing for you since the event happened and what would help to repair the harm that has been done. Your parents or support persons will be asked similar questions.
Everyone in the room will have an opportunity to talk and participate in identifying actions that might help to repair the harm and when possible, restore relationships.
When the actions that need to be taken to help to repair the harm have been agreed upon, the person who caused the harm will sign a contract indicating his/her commitment to complete the actions within a specified time frame. You will also be asked to sign this contract, indicating that you are in agreement with the actions and time frames.
Once all actions have been completed by the person who caused the harm, you and your parent/support person will receive notification that all actions have been completed and the case will be closed. If the actions are not completed in the specified time frame, the case will be returned to the police to be processed through the traditional criminal justice system.
Rural Red Deer Restorative Justice Program 