Collaborative approaches to restorative justice programs

Building on a previous community-engaged project in collaboration with the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE), this work aims to expand understanding of the key components needed to develop restorative justice (RJ) programs in Alberta.

Acts of sexual violence are a gendered form of violence that predominantly impacts women and girls, and violence impacts Indigenous women at rates higher than non-Indigenous women. Survivors of sexual violence often express frustrations, retraumatization, and dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system, and RJ may be a potential way to address some of those concerns. From our previous project, we developed Guidelines and Considerations when developing RJ programs.

Using community-participatory research and Indigenous methodology, we will host a series of workshops to include Indigenous-specific input to address gaps for developing RJ programs.

This project will highlight community-based participatory research to bridge the gaps in service delivery and ensure that services are responsive to community needs through an integrated knowledge base.

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs and Indigenous Women’s Fund of Canada.

  • Maureen is a Cree/Métis doctoral candidate, born and raised in a small Cree/Métis community in rural Alberta. She is in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Alberta, and her primary research focuses on eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, and violence among Indigenous women and girls. In her role as a therapist, she has worked with clients in the area of sexual violence, and is particularly interested in community-participatory research and bridging gaps in mental health care.