AO3 Restorative Justice

• +Supports needs of survivors. The Restorative Justice Council (Shapland) reported the results of a 7-year project. 85% of survivors said they were satisfied with the process. 78% would recommend it, about 60% said the process made them feel better about the incident, 2% said it made them feel worse. This suggests that restorative justice is a worthwhile experience and helps survivors of crime cope with the aftermath of the incident.
• -Not always survivor-focused. RI programmes are not always as survivor-focused as reported in satisfaction surveys. Survivors of crime may be used to help rehabilitate offenders, not the other way round (Wood and Suzuki). This suggests that the needs of the survivor may be seen as secondary to the need to rehabilitate offenders.
• +Leads to decrease in offending. In a meta-analysis Strang found offenders who experienced RJ were less likely to reoffend - though reduction was larger in cases of violent crime than property crime. Bain found lowered recidivism with adult offenders who had one-to-one contact with their survivor (rather than community contact). This suggests that RJ has a positive impact on reoffending, maybe more so for some types of offence than others and some approaches.
• -Offenders may abuse the system. The success of RJ hinges on an offender genuinely feeling regret for their actions. Van Gijseghem suggests that offenders may use restorative justice to avoid punishment, play down their faults or even take pride in their relationship with the survivor. This would explain why not all offenders ultimately benefit from restorative justice and go on to reoffend.
• Domestic abuse

  In domestic violence cases, the power imbalance between abuser and abused puts pressure on survivors to go along with their partner's suggestions during mediation. However, RJ in domestic violence cases has produced positive results for survivors, e.g. where a couple wishes to stay together to address the harm caused (Sen). This suggests that for some types of crime the offender may manipulate the situation so great care is needed.