How does the theme for RJ Week 2012 – “Diverse Needs; Unique Responses” – reflect your understanding of Restorative Justice?
What does this year’s theme for RJ Week mean to you?
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The theme of this year’s RJ week calls us to explore human complexity.
“Diverse Needs; Unique Responses” reminds us that there are many ways people respond to being harmed, and this theme calls us to honour peoples’ different responses. Addressing harm is of course a difficult matter to grapple with, and communities are wise to seek to help each victim of crime to find wholeness in his or her own unique – though supported – way.
People are different; people grieve differently, and they move forward differently. Restorative Justice Week provides an occasion each year to explore the meaning of RJ. This year’s theme encouraged me to consider the uniqueness of the journey each of us are on as human beings, and to find ways to create space for that diversity, to supportively honour our differences, in my work and life.
On Thursday November 15th, I had the pleasure of hearing from a number of community members at the Ottawa Restorative Justice Network event A Crime Victim’s Perspective on Restorative Justice. Janet Handy of CCJC was one of the speakers, and Jan shared a story from John 5:2 (the pool at Bethesda) which draws attention to the role we all play in responding to harm. The story teaches that we – victims, offenders, and community members – are all imperfect and bring our own different obstacles to embracing the opportunities that restorative approaches offer. This passage from the Book of John encourages us to reflect on what stands in each of our ways to ‘wading into the pool’ of restoration and healing.
The keynote speaker of the evening was Katy Hutchison, a person whose husband Bob was killed a decade ago, and who found some of her needs as a victim were met through (what she later learned was called) an RJ approach. During her talk, Katy shared how devastating it was to lose Bob, and explained how her need for answers and human connections in the wake of that loss made her a somewhat unconventional victim.
Some people in her community did not understand why Katy didn’t remain consumed by vengeance and anger. Katy’s response to the tragic, violent loss of a loved one was to turn outward into her community by speaking with young people about the dangers of partying and high-risk substance use (Bob died as a result of violence at a teen party). She needed and wanted to reach out, to create something positive and life-giving out of a terrible tragedy. Eventually Katy connected with the young man who was responsible for Bob’s death, and she invited him to work with her in her outreach.
Her story highlights our responsibility to really listen to victims and honour their unique needs. Some people in Katy’s community helped meet her needs: local police allowed her (at her insistence) to meet with the young man who was eventually charged with Bob’s death. Some people in her community were very supportive of her efforts to turn ‘the story of Bob’ into a learning opportunity for young people. Katy’s journey is a testament to the good that can come from honouring a victim’s particular needs and supporting their unique journey.