Would this incident have been a candidate for Restorative Justice?
I was a facilitator for the RCMP's Restorative Justice program and can attest to the hundreds of people, young and old, who took the wrong path in life, were recognized by a Mountie and redirected through Restorative Justice.
"What is Restorative Justice? Restorative Justice (RJ) seeks to create just outcomes by repairing the harm caused by crime and violence.
Typically this happens through facilitating a process that addresses victims’ needs and holds offenders meaningfully accountable for their actions.
In this approach, crime is understood not only as breaking the law, but as a violation of people and relationships and a disruption of the peace in a community. In a restorative justice process, offenders must first accept responsibility for their role in an offence and the harm they have caused.
Victims must also voluntarily choose to participate. Communities or community members are often actively involved in the process as interested stakeholders, supporters, or facilitators.
In B.C., restorative justice is most commonly used for less serious offences such as mischief, assault, and theft. However, a restorative justice process can potentially be used for any crime in which harm has occurred.
This can happen where the offender is showing an adequate degree of responsibility and willingness to make amends, and where the victim would like an opportunity to be heard, to have questions answered, or to seek restitution."