In Search of the Pathways to Justice: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Aboriginal Communities

Abstract

This paper will explore the assumptions, values and processes underlying aboriginal justice systems on one hand and alternative dispute resolution based on restorative justice principles on the other. In so doing it will consider whether the recognition of aboriginal justice systems is not only one of the critical pathways for addressing the experience and meeting the aspirations of aboriginal communities, but may also be both a contributing and complimentary force towards the directions in which the reform of the criminal justice system is advancing.

Keywords: Canada. Indigenous peoples, Aboriginal justice systems, Alternative dispute resolution, Restorative justice, Criminal justice system, Administration of criminal justice, Maori, New Zealand