restorative justice

• restorative justice programme is an attempt to rehabilitate the offender by getting them to cognitively understand the effect their crime has had on the victim and society.
• it can be direct reconciliation with the victim or in paying back the victim and the wider society
• it aims to restore what the offender harmed
• the victim and offender take part in a meeting supervised by a trained mediator
• the meeting is collaborative and the victim is given an opportunity to explain the criminal the harm they caused to them.

  the offender urged to take responsibility
• reparation - the offender demonstrates that he has taken responsibility and offers repayment through cash or form of community service
• MINISTRY OF JUSTICE - RJ

  evaluation of rj schemes

  14% in recidivism

  62% felt better

  for every £1 spent on rj £8 was saved in recidivism
• RJ depends on victim cooperation and it may not be the case if victim is doing it superficially to avoid harsher sentence
• an issue with rj is that members of society see custodial sentencing as retribution.

  can be seen as a softer option and not a deterrent