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Frequently Asked
Questions
Q. What is Restorative Justice?
There are lots of definitions of
restorative justice. Restorative Justice is not a
program, but rather a way of thinking about and dealing with
crime. Restorative Justice seeks to balance the
concerns of the victim and the community with the need to
reintegrate the offender into society. It seeks to
assist the recovery of the victim and enable all parties
with a stake in the justice process to participate
fruitfully in it.
Q. How does it
work?
Restorative Justice methods involve:
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Consulting with both victims
and offenders about what has happened and about its
implications for the future
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Involving
relevant members of the community in helping victims to
recover and offenders to become rehabilitated
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investigating the reasons for particular offences and
taking active steps to address them, thereby minimizing
the risk of them being repeated
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being
flexible, so that measures can be adjusted to
circumstances and "assembly-line justice" is avoided
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all
agencies working together to the common aims of
restoring victims and offenders to a supportive
community
Q.
What are the benefits of restorative justice?
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It is
close to the individuals involved, giving them a voice
and insight into what is happening
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It
enables victims to find a satisfactory resolution
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It
involves the community, providing an inclusive and
supportive framework for crime prevention and
rehabilitation
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It is
demanding of offenders, expecting them to play an active
part in making up for their misbehavior, and making them
responsible for thinking about how they can stay out of
trouble in the future
Q.
What does it offer for those involved?
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To
Victims: compensation, healing, having a voice
and an opportunity of being part of the process
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To
Communities: a voice in setting crime
priorities, resources and skills for preventing crime
and trouble, and understanding why crime happens
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To
Offenders: a realization of the consequences
of their actions, providing a chance to make reparation
and an avenue back into the community
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To
Criminal Justice Agencies: opportunities for
community support and confidence, ensuring that their
efforts are not negated by one agency working to
different objectives from another, and hope of being
effective in resolving the harm of crime and reducing
its likelihood in the future
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