Restorative justice (rj*) practices in the contexts of education, community, and justice have a history and presence in NL. However, few people are aware of this work and as such are unable to advocate for or access services that do exist. Given the potential for societal transformation through restorative justice principles and practices, various organizations have recognized the need for creating a strong interconnected network of those engaged in this work. With such a network, opportunities for change increase as key decision-makers and the general public come to recognize the various ways of addressing the challenges we face daily.

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Relationships First Newfoundland and Labrador (RFNL), a consortium housed in the Faculty of Education, Memorial University,  has been promoting restorative justice principles and practices in NL throughout education, community, and judicial contexts for over 12 years. 

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Recently, in collaboration with Community Justice Connect (CJC), a provincial scan was initiated to identify all people and organizations with experience in and an understanding of restorative justice. Over twenty interviews were held and information collected from these resulted in this report which is comprised of two main parts:

• Part 1: A catalogue of active agencies and individuals, their services, and their contact information;

• Part 2: A collated summary of the information provided through these interviews including recommendations for growth to benefit the people of NL; 

 

Significant work in education has been ongoing in NL since 2014, and many of the schools, with the support of the Department of Education, are engaged to varying degrees in promoting and implementing rj principles and practices in Pre-K to 12 schools. This includes the NL Schools, Indigenous schools, independent schools, and the Conseil Scolaire Francophone Provincial. A study conducted in 2020-2021, identified how this work was being taken up across NL. Since then, this engagement has continued to grow. As schools are solidifying their engagement with rj formally and educators are challenging themselves to commit to rj as an approach for developing relational, responsive, and restorative school cultures, it is still early for identifying specific schools for this scan. However, the study report is included to highlight engagement up until 2020, and a list of current educators advocating for rj in education are listed. RFNL’s work with NLSchools continues with the goal of ensuring holistic implementation and sustainability. Two more parts include:

• Part 3: A list of educators in the province who are implementing restorative justice education in their classrooms/schools and available for mentoring and consulting; 

• Part 4: A document summarizing restorative justice education in NL:  Restorative justice education in Newfoundland and Labrador Schools--An Overview of Engagement (2021);    

 

A final part to draw all aspects of rj in NL together at this time is an article describing the history and development of restorative justice in NL: 

• Part 5: Restorative Justice in Newfoundland and Labrador: An Ongoing Effort Amidst Challenges (2024). 

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*lower case rj is used as an acronym for restorative justice as it is not a name, a specific program, or an organization but a way of being and doing, a concept.