What Works?

Question 1

Who supports the view that RJ reduces reoffending ?

Answer 1

• MoJ (Green Paper)
• HoC Justice Committee Report (July 2017)
• Shapland et al. (2008)

Question 2

Value for money of RJ ?

Answer 2

Victim-offender conferencing produced £8 saved for every £1
(Shapland et al (2008))

LIMITATIONS:

• victim-offender conferencing only
• based on 3 schemes, and most of the value was from the London-based scheme

Question 3

What were the findings of the MoJ Green Paper ‘Breaking the Cycle’ on RJ and reoffending rates ?

Answer 3

RJ conferencing can reduce reoffending by 14%.

Question 4

What was the Surrey County Council’s Youth Restorative Intervention & its findings ?

Answer 4

• Restorative informal out of court disposal.

- Mackie et al. (2014): independent eval. found 18% reduction in reoffending; saved £3 for every £1 spent.

Question 5

What’s the effect of RJ Conferencing on repeat arrests or convictions ?

Answer 5

Campbell Review (Strang et al.) (2013)
- Reviewed 10 studies RJCs --> effect varied across trials: 7% to 45% reduction.

Question 6

What are the non-financial costs/indirect benefits of RJC ?

Answer 6

Health benefits, particularly to Vs –> lesser demands GPs, counseling, PTSD services, etc. = all are benefits of RJ

Question 7

What are the RJ victim satisfaction figures ?

Answer 7

77% surveyed gave 9 or 10/10
(Kirby & Jacobson (2015))

Shapland (2007): 85% reported very or quite satisfied