Sentencing circles in Canada involve a process whereby community members recommend the sentence in cases involving other members of the same community. They are characteristically made up of the accused and the victim, their families, elders, the presiding judge, and other interested community members. Family group conferences in Australia allow persons directly affected by crime to actively participate in dealing with the consequences of crime. Conferences focus on the offense rather than on the offender and seek both collective and individual accountability for offending behavior. Both initiatives are evaluated in terms of their implications for aboriginal and indigenous communities. Criticisms of the initiatives focus on the need to seek greater input from aborigines, the importance of defining what constitutes a community, different political forces operating at the community level, and difficulties encountered by other community justice initiatives. 17 references and 1 note