Source: (1999) Paper presented at the Atlantic Association of Sociologists and Anthropologists annual conference. Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, 22 October.
Beginning in the late 1990s, Nova Scotia has embarked on a province-wide reform of its justice system to transform it in accord with restorative justice principles and processes. In this paper, Thomson provides the historical background to this initiative, as well as a comparison of an adversarial system of justice and restorative justice. Specifics of the reform plan of the Department of Justice in Nova Scotia include formal goals, protocols for referrals to restorative processes, and a list of offenses included in or excluded form such processes. Thomson also presents a detailed look at how the reform plan will be put into operation – for example, with respect to alternative measures and adult diversion, the pre-charge entry point, the role of the offender, participation of the victim, and the role of the community.
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