Restorative Justice Encounters
Creating a space for dialogue where bonds of trust have been broken
Restorative justice encounters create spaces for dialogue, listening, and acknowledgment among people affected by situations of abuse or violence, within a safe, voluntary, and respectful framework.
Overview of the encounters
A structured process based on dialogue
Passerelles de justice réparatrice organizes restorative justice encounters, in prison and community settings, in the Greater Montreal area and across other regions of Quebec, and has been doing so for over 25 years.
Who are the encounters for?
They bring together voluntary participants who do not know each other, but who feel concerned by similar abuse or violence, whether or not it has gone through the justice system:
- people who have been direct, secondary, or collateral victims of abuse or violence, whether or not they have filed a complaint;
- people, incarcerated or not, who have committed abuse or violence, who acknowledge their actions and take responsibility for them;
- one or more community members, acting as citizens concerned by abuse and violence within society, who wish to participate in dialogue with openness, authenticity, and respect
What types of encounters are offered?
- Face to face, an encounter between 3 people (a person who has been a victim and a person who has committed similar abuse or violence, along with a community member)
- In a group, approximately 8 to 10 people (several people who have been victims and people who have committed similar abuse or violence, and two community members).
We offer restorative justice encounters for various types of abuse or violence such as sexual offenses (incest, intrafamilial, by a third party, intimate partner, prostitution / pimping, rape), intimate partner or family violence, murder, kidnapping, driving while impaired, theft, parental neglect, physical assault, fraud…
These encounters are facilitated by two facilitators selected for their human qualities and are offered free of charge.
Our various restorative justice encounters are based on more than 25 years of experience. The practice of our facilitators is supported by supervision, a code of ethics, and participation and confidentiality agreements. We also provide them with continuing education, spaces for exchange within our community of practice, and an annual review of our practice.
Why participate?
Restorative justice encounters primarily aim to create a space for dialogue where people who have been victims and people who have committed abuse and violence can meet, express themselves freely, and exchange within a respectful and safe framework.
Depending on the individual, these processes allow, among other things, for:
- validation of one's lived experience, and sometimes obtaining answers to questions, through a counterpart who has experienced similar abuse or violence, but from the opposite perspective
- acknowledgment and / or awareness of the various consequences of abuse or violence
- the release of emotions linked to profound suffering and inner peace
- a better understanding of the other person's reality
- a reduction of prejudices between the people involved
- reflection on civic engagement when witnessing abuse or violence
The observed effects of these processes are presented in detail in the Our impact section.
How to participate?
To participate in a restorative justice encounter, simply fill out the participation form below or contact us.
A different space for moving toward restoration
Restorative justice workshops
Drawing on its experience with restorative justice encounters, and based on the interests expressed by our participants, Passerelles JR has created restorative justice workshops.
Although innovative, these workshops remain true to our approach, which encourages the participation of community members as social witnesses who foster openness within their communities.
These workshops allow people who have experienced or committed abuse or violence, whether criminalized or not, to share and process their experiences in a safe and respectful setting, to explore the consequences, and to explore possible paths toward restoration, whether internal, relational, or focused on loved ones or the community.
For even when the past cannot be changed, it is still possible to transform the way we choose to move forward.
Addictions, whether related to substances, behaviors, or emotional relationships, all have one thing in common: they turn lives upside down.
In this workshop, people who have experienced addiction, and others who have suffered the consequences of a loved one's addiction, come together.
They do not come to argue, blame, or justify themselves.
Instead, they come to share their lived experiences, listen to one another with respect, discuss the consequences addiction has had on their lives, and explore paths toward restoration. They come to engage in dialogue.
An unlikely yet deeply enriching dialogue, taking place in a safe environment, supported by 2 facilitators trained and supervised by Passerelles de justice réparatrice.
Violence goes far beyond the acts committed. In addition to direct consequences, both victims and offenders face reactions from their families.
One consequence rarely addressed is the breakdown of family ties, which proves to be among the most painful. Whether it involves estrangement, silence, rejection, judgment, or a loss of trust, the consequences of violence often extend beyond the events themselves and leave lasting marks on relationships.
Passerelles JR offers a workshop focusing on family breakdowns resulting from violence, whether criminalized or not, committed or endured. Participants will explore their wounds, their consequences, and how to envision a path toward reparation leading to inner peace, regardless of the direction chosen. A dialogue within a safe framework is provided by 2 facilitators, trained and supervised by Passerelles de justice réparatrice.
The wounds caused by sexual violence are not limited to the events themselves. Beyond the direct consequences, negative and unsupportive responses from the loved ones of victims can leave marks that are just as deep.
Some victims live with the pain of not having been supported and protected by their mothers, who looked the other way, denied what was happening, did not believe their child, did not intervene, blamed, or minimized.
Passerelles JR offers a workshop focusing on maternal failure to protect in the context of childhood or adolescent sexual abuse. This taboo, yet deeply painful subject is experienced by some people as an additional assault.
Participants will explore their wounds, the consequences of this failure to protect, and how to envision a path toward reparation leading to inner peace.
We offer these workshops annually and in French only, contact us to learn more.
Testimonies
Frequently Asked Questions
Who participates in restorative justice encounters?
People who have experienced abuse and violence, directly or indirectly, and people who have been sentenced for such abuse and violence, whether they have been released or are still under warrant of the Correctional Service of Canada; whether they have already completed their sentence or are currently serving it.
As for community members, this can be anyone who upholds the values of restorative justice and wishes to take part in repairing what crime has broken through their active listening and participation. Brief training to become a community member is provided by Passerelles de justice réparatrice.
What do restorative justice encounters consist of at Passerelles de justice réparatrice?
Restorative justice encounters create a safe space for dialogue between one or more people who have committed a crime and one or more people who have experienced the same type of crime. A person representing society is also present to support this process and include society, which may have been a secondary victim or complicit in the crime. These participants are voluntary, and the process is not part of the justice system. Accompanied by facilitators selected for their professional and human qualities, participants take part in an initial exchange about the events committed or experienced, a second exchange on the consequences of the crime, and finally on acts of reparation. A debriefing meeting is arranged a few months later to bring closure to the experience together.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to learn more about this process.
What are the conditions for participating in these encounters?
To participate in this process, one or more initial interviews are arranged to assess whether the experience is appropriate for the interested person.
It is important that participants engage freely and voluntarily, and that they have access to external support, ideally therapeutic. An introspective journey must already be underway to take part in this process. Participants must be able to share the account of their experience, name its consequences, and be able or willing to connect with their emotions.
Offenders must be able to take responsibility for the acts committed as well as their consequences, have a desire for reparation, and demonstrate a willingness to change. They are often referred by professionals who accompany or have accompanied them within the correctional system.
It is not necessary for the victim to have filed a complaint. The process is open to direct and indirect victims, loved ones of people affected by crimes, and witnesses to violence.
What kind of support do you offer throughout the encounters?
Our team is available by telephone or during in-person meetings throughout the process. Participants can reach the Passerelles de justice réparatrice team or the facilitator before, during, and after restorative justice encounters, according to their needs. A participant guide and a list of resources are provided to them.
What are the risks of participating in these encounters?
Restorative justice encounters are not dangerous when they are well prepared, organized, facilitated, and evaluated. With our practice spanning more than 25 years, our restorative justice encounter model has been tested and experienced by numerous participants. We take great care with participant selection by ensuring that the process will be restorative for them, collaborating with partners who understand their journey, and confirming they have access to external support. The facilitators serve as guardians of balance during the sessions. They are trained and mentored to uphold the safety and well-being of everyone involved in restorative justice encounters.
Because participation is entirely voluntary, each person is free to leave the process at any moment if it no longer meets their expectations or becomes too difficult.
What are the motivations of participants and the benefits they report feeling at the end of these processes?
Each person is different, so motivations and benefits are personal to each individual. Here are reflections shared by past participants.
Regarding motivations: wanting to be listened to, respected, understood, to speak, exchange, understand, ask questions, release destructive emotions (fear, anger, guilt, shame, insecurity, etc.), feel empathy, assert oneself, regain control of one's life, turn the page or prepare for another stage, contribute to crime prevention and reparation…
Regarding experienced benefits: having felt listened to, having been able to express oneself fully and be heard, having felt acknowledged in one's personal story and lived experience, having succeeded in overcoming fear or releasing anger, no longer feeling guilty or ashamed, having the feeling of having taken a step along one's healing and resilience journey, having greater confidence and self-esteem, having transformed one's lived experience into a lever for change, feeling less isolated…
Why is a community member present during restorative justice encounters?
The presence of one or more community members is specific to the model of Passerelles de justice réparatrice and has been part of our practice since its beginnings in 2001. The community member helps involve society, which may have been a secondary victim or complicit in the crime committed. They also provide an outside perspective and support for what is experienced. Society thereby becomes present and supportive throughout the reparation process. Community members complete training in restorative justice and are selected to participate in a restorative justice process. They participate on a volunteer basis and share the values of restorative justice.
Begin a process at your own pace
Would you like to learn more or consider participating in a restorative justice encounter? The Passerelles de justice réparatrice team is here to listen, answer your questions, and support you through a process tailored to your situation.