The Atlantic Community Justice Project

The Atlantic Community Justice Project was a one-year project of the Atlantic Coordinating Committee on Crime Prevention and Community Safety in partnership with the Correctional Service of Canada.

What is Community Justice?
Community Justice is a way of responding to a crime that involves the community in trying to repair the harm done by the offense. Restorative processes like the community-based victim offender mediation program in St. John's, Newfoundland, the RCMP initiated Community Justice Forums being promoted in every Atlantic Province, and sentencing circles in Woodstock, New Brunswick are examples of Community Justice.

Elements of Community Justice may include:

recognition that crime is primarily an offence against human relationships;
focus on repairing the harm caused by the crime;
involvement of the victim, the offender & the community in repairing the harm done;
acceptance by the offender for his or her wrongdoing;
acceptance that offending behavior does not diminish the worth of a person;
community willing to take some ownership for justice matters;
understanding of the limitations of punishment as a deterrent.

Note: Because this project ended a few years ago, some of the information provided on this website may be out of date.