Post #289
1200 words; 6 minute read
By Kimberly Duong, blog volunteer.
Summary: Describes the career and work of Dr Alana Abramson, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, related to restorative justice practice.
Restorative justice is more than a program – as Braithwaite writes, it is deliberative justice; it is about individuals deliberating over the consequences of a crime or wrongdoing, how to make sense of it, and prevent their recurrence. It focuses on accountability, repair, and community healing, in lieu of relying on punishment. Previous posts on this blog have looked at the benefits of this practice, restorative justice and sexual assault, and at a summary of research on the effectiveness of the approach.
Dr, Alana Abramson is an academic, trainer, and practitioner of restorative justice at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Justice Institute of BC, and the Crisis & Trauma Resource Centre, who writes about the powers, challenges, impact of restorative justice on individuals and communities.
For Dr Abramson, restorative justice goes beyond processes or programs – it is a philosophy grounded in accountability and healing. She describes it simply and powerfully:
Reducing suffering, promoting individual, relational and collective accountability, transformation, and healing.
Journey into Restorative Justice
Her journey into restorative justice was shaped by her experiences within both the criminal legal and child welfare systems. These experiences gave her first-hand understanding of how traditional systems often fail to address the root causes of harm, which, in turn, sparked her commitment to more holistic approaches.
When asked what initially drew her to restorative justice, Alana reflected on the experiences she had when young that shaped both her personal and professional path.
As a survivor of violence and a young person in conflict with the law, I encountered the criminal legal system and the child welfare system. These systems along with my high school expulsions and a “tough love” parenting approach further isolated and harmed me.
Her first exposure to restorative justice came, unexpectedly, through parent-teen mediation, when she was offered a voice and the opportunity for dialogue in a supported, safe environment. Subsequently, in college, she enrolled in an elective criminology course on Police Deviance which ignited her academic interest in restorative practices, as it spoke directly to her experiences with violence and foster care as a young offender. She went on to major in criminology at a larger university, where she took a restorative justice course and met Dr. Liz Elliott, who became a mentor.
Dr. Elliott invited Alana to participate in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) – a prison-based workshop. Age 20, Alana found herself in a circle with twelve men in a prison chapel, many of whom had committed serious acts of violence against women.
I thought I was there to help the prisoners but the healing that began for me that day was really what I took away. I shared about the violence and exploitation I had experienced at the hands of men with similar backgrounds as they had. Many in that circle had used violence against women. I sat one-on-one with a man who had committed almost the same harm that I had been victimized by. I shared my story, he shared his… and we cried.
That day was a turning point.
I left that prison workshop with a commitment to look more deeply at my trauma, and I have been working through the pain of my past since so I can be as healthy as I can be for my family, my friends, my community, and my students.
Alana’s journey illustrates how restorative justice can be transformative both for those who have caused harm and for those who have been harmed, bridging gaps in understanding while creating meaningful connection, and accountability.
Alana also emphasizes that restorative justice is not only theoretical but also deeply personal.
While I have never met directly with the people who harmed me as a youth, the mediation with my parents at sixteen and the circle in prison at 20 transformed the way I looked at myself and sent me on a healing journey.
These early experiences shaped not only her own healing journey, but her professional path, too. Prof. Abramson now has 25 years as a researcher, practitioner, educator, and trainer in restorative justice. She has facilitated countless restorative justice processes for others, researched this approach in cases of serious crime, and trained others to work restoratively.
Restorative Justice Practices: Circles
Restorative justice represents both accountability and growth – a framework that allows individuals to confront harm, repair relationships, and foster meaningful change for themselves and their communities.
Profound transformations can take place for individuals through circles, a specific restorative justice process. Circles provide a safe, participatory space for healing, inclusion, community engagement, and accountability. Circles are a practical way that make restorative justice values actionable. Through circles, restorative justice becomes not just a philosophy but a lived, transformative process for individuals and communities.
- Shared Philosophy of Relationship-Centered Justice:
- Both restorative justice and circles emphasize cultivating relationships and repairing harm by fostering understanding rather than focusing on punishment or blame.
- They align with Indigenous traditions that view justice as relational and holistic, seeking balance and harmony within the community.
- Facilitating Dialogue, Problem Solving, and Healing:
- Circles create a structured environment for open and respectful communication among all, with attention to addressing the emotional, social, and practical dimensions of harm through dialogue.
- Inclusive and Equitable:
- The circle physically and symbolically seeks to address and reduce hierarchies. All voices can be heard.
- The use of a talking piece ensures each person can speak and be heard, fostering mutual respect and shared power.
- Accountability and Responsibility:
- In a circle, participants are encouraged to consider what collective and individual responsibility might look, sound, and feel like.
- Flexibility for Different Contexts:
- Circles can be adapted for various contexts – including to prevent and repair harm.
Key Aspects of Restorative Justice
Alana emphasizes that effective restorative justice requires intentional, trauma-informed preparation and facilitation.
Good intentions are not enough. Restorative justice facilitators have the ethical responsibility to be grounded, attend to power dynamics, and have adequate training, resources and supports to be able to offer processes that minimize the risk to participants.
These key practices include:
- Offering a person-centered, flexible process, rather than a scripted one.
- Providing various ways for participants to engage – including direct or indirect dialogue.
- Ensuring participants have voice, agency, and choice.
- Connecting participants to formal and informal supports when needed.
Participants, especially victims, should feel they are co-creating the process with the facilitator. A restorative justice program cannot be all things to all people so connections to other forms of formal and informal supports should be in place for all participants to feel supported before, during and after a restorative justice process.
A Recent Example
Prof. Abramson recently worked with a small community restorative justice organization in British Columbia, training 17 circle keepers. Within three days of training, the participants had organized eight sharing circles in which community members came together to share and listen on racial harm, disinformation/misinformation, living with chronic pain, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, parenting teenagers, and climate grief.
The impact of these circles on community and the circle keepers themselves was profound. Relationships were built and deepened which are the foundation of promoting peace and social justice.
About this blog: The John Howard Canada blog is intended to support greater public understanding of criminal justice issues. Blog content does not necessarily represent the views of the John Howard Society of Canada. All blog material may be reproduced freely for any non-profit purpose as long as the source is acknowledged. We welcome comments (moderated). Contact: blogeditor@johnhoward.ca.
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