Restorative Justice Process

Restorative Justice Chatham-Kent receives referrals from the Chatham-Kent Police Services. After we receive the referral we contact the youth and meet with them in a pre-conference interview. Once we have determined that the youth is appropriate for our program we contact the victim and schedule a Restorative Justice Conference. During this entire process the youth’s charges are pending.

The conference is held in private in the community where the offence occurred, with the victim, the youth and their respective family members/guardians, trained community volunteers, as well as other relevant parties.  Each party will have the opportunity to express how they have been affected by the youth’s actions and behaviour. 

After input from all parties, the group decides on how the issue will be resolved. This is done in the form of a Conference Agreement.  If the youth successfully completes all of the tasks on the Conference Agreement the charges are dropped. If the youth fails to complete all of the tasks their file is returned to the Chatham-Kent Police Services with a recommendation to pursue the original charge.