Rehabilitation through cognitive understanding of the effect of the crime on society and the victim, through rehabilitation and atonement, via reconcilliation with victim
Rehabilitation
Victim explains the impact of the crime so the offender can understand their perspective
Atonement
The offender may offer compensation and show their remorse
Reparation
Demonstrates acceptance of responsibility by repaying with cash, time etc
Victims Perspective
Victim can feel less powerless if they can voice their views, they can understand the offenders story more, reducing the sense of victimisation
(+) A03: Ministry of Justice
Found that:
Restorative justice reduced recidivism by 14%
62% of victims felt better
2% of victims felt worse
Shapland's study found that every £1 spent on RJ, £8 was saved on recidivism, having economic implications
(-) A03: Social Rejection
Society dont accept this as a form of retribution, can be a soft approach to crime, may not suffice for the emotional harm it has done to the victims; offenders may only agree to this to reduce their sentence
(+) A03: Flexible
Schemes can be tailored to fit individual needs, unlike custodial sentencing which tends to be a one-size fits all approach, programmes can be administered effectively to suit individual crimes
