Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the move to virtual work affected how restorative justice (RJ) programs functioned and evolved. As RJ is often centered around in-person gatherings, this study explores how organizations adapted to the challenges faced by the pandemic in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. 41 Key Informants were interviewed about the impacts of the pandemic on their respective programs and the innovative solutions employed to continue providing services. Three boarder themes–a) COVID-measured restorative justice practices, b) remote restorative justice practices and c) hybrid restorative justice practices emerged from the analysis of participants’ qualitative data. It was found that since the initial lockdowns, most organizations have offered services entirely online with some services operating in-person under strict health measures. In-person services such as circles and client meetings were commonly moved outside. A hybrid model–the combination of online and in-person–has allowed some participants to gather with facilitators in-person and others to join remotely, or initial intake interviews to be conducted remotely with circles and direct dialogue processes held in person. This study ends with sharing limitations and policy recommendations for justice stakeholders in AB, BC, and SK.
Asadullah et al. (Fri,) studied this question.