Source: (1999) Submitted to the N.S. Department of Justice, Restorative Justice Program, September 1999. Provincial Association of Transition Houses of Saskatchewan (PATHS). Downloaded 9 June 2004.
In June 1998 the Nova Scotia Department of Justice introduced a restorative justice program for Nova Scotia. According to policy guidelines, cases of sexual and domestic violence are only to be referred to restorative justice processes at the post-conviction, pre-sentence phase. This report by staff of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre expresses many questions and concerns about the use of restorative justice processes in such cases. Based on their experiences in dealing with abusive, violent situations, they maintain that sexual assault crimes are incompatible with the restorative justice model in its current form. In this regard, they also pose questions and make recommendations concerning community ownership, volunteerism, informal cautions and warnings, project timing, and research and analysis.
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