The Impact of Restorative Justice Practices on Participants

Source: (2006) Dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Psychology. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.

There is an abundance of research that suggests that restorative justice processes are satisfying to both victims and offenders. Restorative justice processes are also said to have positive impacts on participants’ wellbeing. Despite references made to the positive impacts on participants’ health there are no studies that specifically examine the impact of restorative justice processes on participants’ psychological health and physical health using specific health indicators. This study utilized a quasi-experimental repeated measures design to assess changes in psychological health and physical health in 92 participants (50 victims and 42 offenders) who experienced a restorative justice process. This study also examined a social support and its relationships with psychological and physical health change. Results indicated that the majority of participants did experience positive changes in their psychological and physical health from preprogram to post program. No change in social support was evident nor was social support found to be related to psychological or physical health. Future research directions and limitations are discussed. (Excerpt)