There are many restorative justice programs that are being developed to help with the healing of victims, offenders, and the community. You may have heard such terms as: community based justice, family group conferencing, healing circles, victim-offender dialogues, mediations and encounters. These kinds of programs acknowledge that the victim, offender and the community are linked because of the offense. 

Most of the programs deal with lesser crimes. The ones dealing with homicide give victims the opportunity to contact the offender after the trial and sentencing and to visit the offender in prison, if this is something that the victim chooses to do.

Mennonite Central Committee Canada. (2011). Getting through the maze: A guidebook for survivors of homicide.