What is restorative justice?
When is a restorative justice conference available?
What happens at a restorative justice conference?
What’s a family group conference?
What is restorative justice?
Restorative justice shifts the focus from merely punishing an offender for their crime/s and instead places the focus on reparation and rehabilitation – that is, getting the offender to undertake a course of action to try and make amends to their victim/s and helping the offender turn their life around to become a law abiding member of society.
In some cases within the New Zealand Court System, offenders are required to participate in restorative justice conferences.
When is a restorative justice conference available?
A restorative justice conference is available if a defendant pleads guilty to an offence that has affected a victim, and the victim agrees to the process.
What happens at a restorative justice conference?
A restorative justice conference is a meeting between the defendant and the victim, each with support people. At each meeting there is a pair of trained facilitators who sit in to monitor and facilitate the process.
The facilitators encourage and help both parties talk about the offence and any issues around it. The victim gets a chance to say how he or she was affected by the crime, and can talk about what they would like to happen. For the defendant, the meeting gives them a chance to take responsibility for the offence, so they can have the opportunity to make things right. Both parties work through different options for a way forward, and walk out with a plan to put things right, as far as it is possible to do that.
What’s a family group conference?
This is a meeting of the offender, the offender’s family, the police, and others to discuss a young person’s offending. They’re called to try help the young person understand the offence they’ve committed, and to give the young person a role in deciding the consequences of their actions. More information is in our Youth Justice & Youth Court section.