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Purpose:
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Located in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Onashowewin is a cost-shared Aboriginal restorative justice program that is funded jointly by Manitoba Justice and the Aboriginal Justice Directorate (AJD) of Justice Canada. The name “Onashowewin” is an Ojibway term that loosely translates to “the process by which we see justice.” Onashowewin Inc. supports the belief that “by restoring, repairing and dealing with responsibility, accountability, learning and healing, we empower ourselves and our community.”
Onashowewin is an aboriginal justice program that works with victims, and offenders as well as community members and elders. It accepts referrals from the Crown Attorney’s office for both youth and adults who have been charged with a variety of offences. In addition to a case development model, Onashowewin utilizes a number of processes to resolve conflict where charges have been laid and these include victim/offender mediation, Community Justice Forums, and conciliation as well as specific programs for offenders.
The approach of Onashowewin is to try and address underlying issues that have led to criminal behaviors and make the offenders accountable for their actions. The offenders may participate in one of the in-house programs or may be referred to other community programs, services or assessments.
The objective of Onashowewin is to help restore, heal and transform relationships and the community.
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