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| Leahan Parrott Restorative Justice Worker / NAN Legal Services |
The Restorative Justice program is provided by Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services as a service to assist First Nation members in dealing with legal and justice issues. The Restorative Justice program is provided in Matachewan First Nation by Leahan Parrott, Restorative Justice Worker / NAN Legal Services. She has been involved in the Restorative Justice system since 2002.
Leahan Parrott provided a description of the program in the latest issue of the ‘Restorative Justice Newsletter’ – Winter 2012:
Restorative Justice (RJ) is an alternative system of addressing certain types of offences in First Nation communities. RJ is a process that most First Nations people can relate to in a familiar way. It is a community-driven process. Unlike the modern day court system, RJ has a healing approach to resolving conflict. The Restorative Justice Program aims to meet the needs of everyone involved in the conflict by restoring balance and harmony between the individuals and the communities. It moves away from the punitive and adversarial system and requires an offender to become accountable to those who have been harmed.
Restorative Justice involves a more holistic approach. The focus is not only on the offender but on the victim, the families and the community. The offender and his/her supporters and the victim and their supporters meet in a Circle to discuss the wrong doing. The offender is given an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how their inappropriate actions have impacted others, particularly the victim. The participants then work as a group on how to resolve the conflict and how to meet the needs of everyone that has been affected.
For more information on the Restorative Justice process, please contact Leahan Parrott at the Matachewan FN Administrative Office at:
Email:
[email protected]
Information on Restorative Justice and Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Legal Services can also be found by visiting their website at: