Restorative justice

• What is restorative justice?

  • A system of dealing with criminal behaviour that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with the victims, so offenders can see the impact of their crimes and victims are empowered by having a "voice"
  • Must be voluntary, gives the victim a chance to explain the crime's impact, offender acknowledges harm and accepts responsibility
  • Active rather than passive involvement of both parties
• What are the 3 aims of restorative justice?

  • Rehabilitation of offenders as they understand the effects of their actions
  • Atonement for wrongdoing - offenders may offer compensation for the crime, can be financial or psychological
  • Victim's perspective - they no longer feel powerless and may want to be called 'survivors'
• What are the variations of restorative justice?

  • Can occur pre-trial or function alongside a prison sentence as an incentive to reduce the length of a sentence, or even as an alternative prison
  • Restitution: monetary payment for harm, may reflect the psychological or physical damage caused
  • Can also be emotional, offender can support the healing process by repairing the survivor's self-esteem
  • Restorative Justice Council: establishes standards for restorative justice and supports survivors + specialist professionals in the field, advocating for its' use beyond crime and in areas like schools and workplaces
• What is one strength of restorative justice programmes?

  • Sherman and Strang (2007): reviewed 20 offender and victim FtF meetings in Australia, all showed reduced reoffending and none were linked to higher offending - 1 study showed lower reoffending rates
  • UK RJC (2015) reported a 14% reduction in reoffending rates, showing that restorative justice is also successful in its aim of reducing crime rates
• What is another strength of restorative justice?

  • Shapland (2008): Restorative Justice Council reported 85% of satisfied survivors, 78% recommended to those in a similar situation, 60% said it made them feel better and had 'closure' and only 2% said it made them feel worse
  • Suggests restorative justice achieves some of its aims such as helping survivors of crime cope with the aftermath of the incident
• What is one limitation of restorative justice?

  • Van Gijseghem (2003) suggests that offenders may use restorative justice for reasons like avoiding punishment, playing down their faults, or taking pride in their relationships with the survivor
  • Possibility that offenders may abuse the system - success depends on an offender's intentions of being honourable explaining why some go on to reoffend