A Healing River takes a thought provoking look at the issues of trauma, recovery and the psychology of restorative process. (available through Heartspeak Productions www.heartspeakproductions.ca)

A Healing River includes interviews with some of North America's leading thinkers and most experienced practitioners in the restorative justice movement including: retired Yukon Territorial Judge Barry Stuart, Victim Services Manager Sandy Bryce, Trauma Therapist Dr. Joe Solanto, Psychiatrist Dr. Donald L. Nathanson, circle keepers Harold and Phil Gatensby of the Tlinget Nation, Sandi Bergen and Dave Gustafson of Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association, Restorative Justice Practitioner Kay Pranis, James Scott of the Ottawa Collaborative Justice Project, and Dr. Liz Elliott, director of The Centre for Restorative Justice at Simon Fraser University. Celine Lee, participant of the Victim Offender Mediation Program for serious violent crimes, and prisoners Deltonia Cook and Warren Glowatski, also speak candidly about their own healing journeys.

Violence affects every member of our society; it is therefore crucial to ensure that our responses are effective in making our communities safer. Unfortunately, some of our legal, institutional and societal responses to conflict and violence exacerbate the underlying human problems. Government has recognized the general failure of incarceration to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders into society and in response to that, parliament has mandated expanded use be made of restorative practices. In 1996, Canada legislated changes to the sentencing principles of the Criminal Code by including the objectives of restorative justice as a fundamental aim of sentencing. In 2003,Canada's new Youth Criminal Justice Act likewise placed restorative goals into the framework for responding to youth in conflict with the law.

These shifts in perspective bring new opportunities, challenges and responsibilities for the justice system, schools, communities and individuals to put restorative justice into practice.