- Donald R. Sobey Foundation Funds Chair held by Professor Jennifer Llewellyn.
- The lab will accelerate the growth of restorative justice practices to help transform the justice system in Canada and build just relations among people, groups, and nations for safe, healthy, and just societies.
HALIFAX, NS, June 10, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, Dalhousie University officially launches the first ever international Restorative Research, Innovation & Education Lab (RRIELab). With the generous support of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation, the University is pleased to announce that the RRIELab now has a fully funded Chair in Professor Jennifer Llewellyn, a distinguished global leader in restorative justice.
"On behalf of our entire Dalhousie community, I would like to thank the Donald R. Sobey Foundation, for their generous support of the RRIELab and to Professor Jennifer Llewellyn, for her ground breaking work in restorative justice," says Dr. Deep Saini, President of Dalhousie University. "I am deeply appreciative of the work of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation and Professor Llewellyn who is making a vital contribution here in Nova Scotia, and internationally, to ensure a restorative approach to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. This is especially true at this time as we reflect on and respond to the unjust racial tragedies experienced by Black people in North America and beyond."
Restorative justice is a human-centred approach to justice that is focused on understanding and responding to impacts and needs of affected individuals and communities. This proactive and future focused approach brings people together to find meaningful and lasting justice solutions. The RRIELab will be a global centre of excellence, located at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. As an incubator for innovation, the Lab will accelerate the growth and development of a restorative approach to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of individuals and communities in Canada. The initial focus of the lab will be on accelerating the growth and development of restorative justice as a key component to transform the justice system in Canada; supporting the development of restorative cities around the world; and responding to institutional abuses and failures.
"The need for restorative justice is not new, indeed systemic and historical injustices mark the experience of marginalized and racialized communities around the world. In this moment in our history, as we confront the pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism, we can see clearly that our current ways of doing things are not working," said Jennifer Llewellyn, Chair of the RRIELab and the Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. "The urgency of a new and different way of imagining and doing justice – doing right by each other -- cannot be allowed to pass by this time. We must support and sustain this new vision of justice to ensure it makes a difference throughout our systems, organizations and institutions. I am so proud and honored that we are embarking on this journey and pledge my commitment to create and support the connections and capacities leaders need in communities, governments and the private sector to work together to reimagine what justice requires and how to achieve it."
Led by Professor Llewellyn, the RRIELab will support justice transformation in communities, systems, institutions, and organizations across Canada and beyond, undertaking the following activities:
- Strategic support for applying a Restorative Justice approach to diverse organizations
- Leading research in Restorative Justice to demonstrate tangible outcomes and impact
- Build capacity for growth and innovation in Restorative Justice
- Design education and training in Restorative Justice to build understanding
- Create a network of experts from around the world to collaborate and build knowledge
- Support collaboration across sectors in government, community and the research community
- Develop public education resources
- Be the home of the SMART JUSTICE NETWORK OF CANADA, which engages in non-partisan advocacy and knowledge mobilization for a smarter fairer justice system (smartjustice.ca)
"The establishment of the RRIELab will position Dalhousie and, indeed, Nova Scotia, to become a global centre of restorative approaches to justice," said Rob Sobey of the Donald R Sobey Foundation. "Our foundation is incredibly inspired by and proud of Professor Llewellyn's leadership. Advances in this field are needed now more than ever. This visionary work will now have a true home in Nova Scotia where it can be nurtured and grow to support international needs and focus areas."
Internationally, the RRIELab will lead the International Learning Community, a network of practitioners, policymakers and researchers supporting local communities and cities around the world committed to being "restorative communities".
About Dalhousie University:
Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada's leading research-intensive university. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of the university's 19,000-plus students coming from outside the province. Dal's 6,000 faculty and staff foster a diverse, purpose-driven community, one that spans 13 faculties and conducts more than $168 million in research annually. The university proudly celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2018.
About the Donald R. Sobey Foundation:
The Donald R. Sobey Foundation was created in 1996 to support charitable organizations across Nova Scotia, Canada. In recent years, it has evolved to support strategic initiatives in Canadian culture through the visual arts, reconciliation with Indigenous Communities and access to post secondary education. In 2017 the Foundation entered into partnership with the RRIELab to fund its Chair in Restorative Justice.
About Professor Jennifer Llewellyn: Biography/Photo
Jennifer Llewellyn, an ever-present voice, and advocate for restorative justice, is the Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2018 she served as the scholar in residence for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. She has previously been a visiting professor at Vanderbilt, Victoria University in Wellington NZ, and Australian National University, and was the Distinguished Visiting Professor at Canberra University in 2018. Having published extensively on the theory and practice of a restorative approach, her teaching and research are focused in the areas of relational theory, restorative justice, truth commissions, peacebuilding, international and domestic human rights law, public law and Canadian constitutional law. From 2006-2012, Professor Llewellyn was the Director of the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Research Alliance (NSRJ-CURA), a collaborative research partnership between university and community partners focused on the institutionalization of restorative justice. She is currently Director of the International Learning Community on a Restorative Approach, an international collaboration of researchers, policy makers and practitioners supporting jurisdictions committed to being restorative communities.
An international subject matter expert in the area of restorative justice, Professor Llewellyn has advised governments and NGO's and supported many governments, projects and programs including the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Jamaican government, the government of New Zealand and the United Nations. Her world-renowned expertise resulted in her appointment as an expert on the UN mechanism to review the UN Basic Principles for the Use of Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters. Additionally, Professor Llewellyn facilitated the design process for the first ever restorative public inquiry (into the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children) and served as a Commissioner for the Inquiry. She previously advised the Assembly of First Nations and Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the response to Residential School abuse.
Recognized for her contribution in the field of restorative justice, Professor Llewellyn was awarded the National Ron Wiebe Restorative Justice Award from Correctional Services Canada in 2015 and was the 2018 recipient of the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council National Impact Award, the highest award for research achievement and impact in Canada.
SOURCE The Donald R. Sobey Foundation
Media Contacts: Janet Bryson, Associate Director, Media Relations and Issues Management, Communications and Marketing, Dalhousie University, tel: 902-494-1269, cell: 902-222-9379; Bernard Doucet, Chair, The Donald R. Sobey Foundation, [email protected], 902-921-1755
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