Incarcerating youth as justice? An in-depth examination of youth, incarceration, and restorative justice

Source: (2011) Canadian Dimension 45(5):25-27.

Mike Alexander helped create Winnipeg’s CP-1879 program in i998. This project came out of the recommendations of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, in an effort to bridge the gap between First Nations and Manitoba Justice, and to put First Nations justice into the hands of First Nations people. The program eventually grew into a project called Onashowewin, and was based on conflict resolution combined with First Nations concepts of healing. Rather than based on a punitive approach, this model of justice was restorative, helping to address the causes rather than the symptoms of youth criminality. Alexander explains: “We operated outside the mainstream justice system and so we were free to design processes that dealt with the underlying reasons why youth offended”. He adds that these processes also allowed for accountability, because they also involved the victims of youth offenders, as well as their surrounding communities. (excerpt)