Engaging in a restorative justice process is also about meeting the needs of the responsible party. “High accountability and high support” are two hallmarks of a healthy process that holds responsible parties accountable for their behaviour, while providing them with the support they need to face those they have harmed and make meaningful amends. That high degree of support should include helping the responsible party connect with their community in a way that is re-integrative, rather than shaming or isolating. Facing one’s victim and having to answer for one’s actions and behaviour can be an extremely difficult and emotional process. Therein lies the power of Restorative Justice, for it is in that powerful encounter between victim and offender that empathy and understanding begin to grow. Seeing one another beyond judgments, assumptions and labels creates connection and it is in this light that reconciliation and resolution can begin to take place.

This process responds to harm with the overarching goal of promoting equitable and healthy relationships among people and within communities.