Challenges to establishing volunteer‐run, community‐based restorative justice programs

Restorative justice initiatives aim to help victims be heard and heal, offenders to take responsibility for their acts and make amends, and the community to reunite and reinforce positive values. The belief that restorative justice provides an effective and efficient response to crime and victimization has prompted the integration of restorative justice practices into traditional justice systems. Many such practices are run by volunteers. Those establishing such volunteer-run, community-based initiatives face several challenges. In this article we use a case study of the Restorative Justice-Victoria program in British Columbia, Canada, to identify these challenges and suggest how they may be overcome.
We focus on:
(1) defining and educating the community;
(2) creating partnerships with funding and referral agencies;
(3) recruiting and training volunteers;
and
(4) obtaining financial support.
The learning that has come from addressing these challenges sheds light on the practical difficulties inherent in supporting a shift from a retributive to a restorative model of justice.