Dealing with Offending Behaviour: Restorative Justice Flashcards
Who established the standards for restorative justice?
The Restorative Justice Council
An offender seeing the hurt they have caused is an example of what process?
rehabilitation/reparation
How did restorative justice change the emphasis?
Switch the emphasis from the needs of the state (to enforce law/punish) to the needs of the individual victim (to feel compensated in some way).
What two things do restorative justice focus on?
The victim of the crime and their recovery.
The offender and their recovery/rehabilitation process.
What are some key features of restorative justice programmes?
Trained mediator supervises the meeting
Non courtroom setting
Can be face-to-face or remotely
Focus is on positive outcomes for survivor and offender
What does the victim get the opportunity to do during restorative justice?
Confront the offender and explain how the incident affected them.
What does the offender get the opportunity to do during restorative justice?
The offender is able to comprehend the crime as well as the emotional distress it caused
Who else may have a role in restorative justice other than offender and victim?
Neighbours, family, friends etc- may all wish to explain effects of the crime.
How is sentencing and restitution linked to restorative justice?
Restorative justice may occur pre-trial and may be considered during sentencing.
Could also function alongside a prison sentence or as an alternative to prison.
How might an offender pay restitution to the victim?
Restitution is often seen as monetary payment by offender to survivor.
Offender may pay some financial restitution- or for example may fix the damaged property themselves.
Who is the restorative justice council?
An independent body whose role is to establish clear standards for the use of restorative justice and to support survivors and specialist professionals in the field.
What are some statistics on restorative justice that support its effectiveness?
5% of survivors reported satisfaction with the process of meeting their offender face-to-face.
78% would recommend it to other people experiencing a similar situation.
About 60% of survivors felt the process had made them feel better about the incident - enabling them to feel closure and to ‘move on.
Only 2% said it had made them feel worse.
What did Heather Strang et al. (2013) find in her meta analysis?
Compared offenders who experienced RJ schemes with those who just experienced custodial sentencing.
The RJ group was significantly less likely to reoffend. This reduction was larger in offenders convicted of violent crime than crimes against property.
What argument did William Wood and Masahiro Suzuki (2016 make about restorative justice?
Not as survivor-focused as often reported in satisfaction surveys. researchers say that restorative justice processes can become distorted, such as when survivors of crime are ‘used’ as a way of helping to rehabilitate offenders, rather than being helped themselves.
Why is the offenders intention important and a potential issue in restorative justice?
The offender has to want to be involved for the right reasons rather than for other reasons such as a reduction in sentence etc.
