The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize November 18 to 25 as Restorative Justice Week. Tomorrow, with our community stakeholders, we will proclaim this week, showing our continued support for this growing movement. I am also pleased to be bringing greetings tomorrow night at a panel discussion at 7:00 at the Lantern in St. John’s. Organized by Relationships First: Restorative Justice in Education Consortium the panel will explore the role of restorative justice in supporting healthy communities.

Mr. Speaker, restorative justice focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions. It provides an opportunity for the parties directly affected – victim, offender and community – to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime.

This government strongly believes in restorative justice and recognizes that we need to find innovative ways to address the number of people incarcerated. Just last week at Federal, Provincial, and Territorial meetings of Justice and Public Safety Ministers, my counterparts and I committed to increase the use of restorative justice, acknowledging the critical role restorative justice can play at all stages of the justice system.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety is exploring initiatives like electronic monitoring, bail supervision and adult diversion programs, as well as looking at options to expand the Family Violence Intervention Court. And, we’ll have more to say very soon about a new Drug Treatment Court.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Honourable members to join me in acknowledging Restorative Justice Week and I look forward to continuing the efforts to address access issues and improve interactions with the justice system.

Thank you.