Examining the effectiveness of restorative justice

The Canadian criminal justice system is troubled by severe and systemic issues, ranging from over-incarceration, racism, recidivism, and effects of the criminalization of mental health issues (Perry, 2016). There have been countless pleas from the Canadian public for meaningful change. The Department of Justice (2015) proposed increasing the availability and use of restorative justice as a possible solution. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the use of restorative justice as a potential solution to high recidivism rates. This study utilizes the mixed-methods approach and comprises both qualitative and quantitative secondary data. This research will highlight critical aspects vital to ensuring the effectiveness and success of the restorative justice process. This study shows that the use of restorative justice does produce a reduction in recidivism, especially for crimes that are more serious or personal in nature. Therefore, it is proposed that the increased use of restorative justice for more serious offences could offer a practical benefit to the reduction of serious offending and help create a safer Canadian society.