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Principles and Values of Restorative Justice

Harris, Scott
June 4, 2015

Source: (2002) Restorative Justice Week 2002 Resource Kit. Ottawa, Ontario: Restorative Justice and Dispute Resolution Branch, Correctional Services Canada.

Scott Harris works in the Restorative Justice Unit of the Correctional Service of Canada. In this paper, part of a restorative justice resource kit, Harris explains some of the key or fundamental principles and values of restorative justice. He acknowledges that there are a variety of definitions of restorative justice, yet he asserts that understanding its roots leads to some common core elements. These are fundamental to ensuring that restorative justice approaches remain consistent with the philosophy underpinning it. He identifies and explains the following common elements as a way of highlighting key principles and values of restorative justice: harm; inclusion; accountability; safety; transformation; choice; humanism; interaction; and holism.

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