Restorative justice

• what is restorative justice?

  programmes with aim to help rebuild the relationship between the offender, victim and their families. It attempts to improve the experience for the victim and encourage the offender to take responsibility for their crime. They use face-to-face meeting.
• historical context

  Before, a person convicted of a crime would have been regarded as committing a crime against the state. However, RJ programmes switch the emphasis from the needs of the state to the needs of the victim. The victims are encouraged to take an active role in the process and offenders are required to take responsibility.
• the RJ process

  This focuses on the acceptance of responsibility and positive change. All parties must take an active instead of passive role where possible. It is not solely restricted to courtrooms. The survivor may volunteer to meet in a non-courtroom setting.
• programme variations

  the offender may make some financial restitution to the victim which may reflect the psychological/physical damage done. The offender can also repair the damaged property themselves. RJ is flexible and can function as an alternative to prison, and can lead to a reduction of their sentence.
• Restorative Justice Council (RJC)

  This is an independent body whose role is to establish clear standards for the use of RJ and to support victims and the specialist professionals in the field. RJC advocated for the use of restorative practise in preventing conflict in many areas (schools, children’s services, workplaces, hospitals and prisons)
• Positive - diversity of programmes

  There is flexibility in the programmes. Programmes can be adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual situation. The term itself covers a wife range of possible applications.
• negative - expensive

  It needs specialist professionals who are likely to be expensive and few. RJ programmes often suffer from high dropout rates. Therefore, it may not be the best and most cost-effective solution.