Note
Held at Simon Fraser University, Ting Forum on Justice Policy, Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Nov. 21, 2011.
Summary
A prolific writer, editor, speaker, educator, and photojournalist, Zehr is a strong advocate for making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice along with respect for the dignity of all people. His speech here emphasizes a vision of restorative justice as a sustainable art of commitment and balance. Zehr outlines achievements and challenges of restorative justice over the years, noting especially that mass incarceration, obvious racial disparities in court and prison systems and bureaucratization of restorative justice programs and groups will likely be in the forefront of coming concerns. Social change, he suggests, however, will come from providing an alternative vision of a more caring and safe society as exhibited by compassionate people such as Liz Elliot.