Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is a new innovative approach to working with young people who offend. Youth Offending Services in England and Wales have to meet a target set by the Youth Justice Board to ensure that 80% of young people who offend, who are referred by the Courts, are involved in the restorative process.

The Youth Justice Board’s approach to restorative justice focuses on key elements:

• Victim Satisfaction – reducing the fear of the victim and ensuring they feel ‘paid back’.
• The harm that has been done to them.
• Engagement with the young people who offend to make sure they are aware of the consequences of their actions so that they show remorse, make reparation and sign up to a plan for their restoration in the community.

Restorative Justice is a way of involving victims of crime and communities damaged by crime, in the criminal justice process. It gives victims an opportunity to express their needs. These may include:

• The need to ask why.
• The need to let the offender know the harm they have caused and how the crime has affected them.
• The need to ask questions which can only be answered by the person responsible for the crime.
• The need to ask what is being done to stop this happening in the future.
• The need for an opportunity to receive a genuine apology.
• The need to understand more about the person who did this to them.

There is no obligation on the victim to take part, if they choose not to. If they are interested, Restorative options could include:

• Questions being answered via a letter of apology.
• The victim may want their point of view put forward to the young person via the Victim Liaison Officer.
• The victim may want to meet with the young person and put their questions to them personally.

Restorative Justice can be very beneficial to all those involved. Victims have said that they appreciate having the opportunity to have questions answered, to let the offender know how the crime has affected them and to receive a genuine apology if this is desired.

Offenders who have taken part in the past have said that hearing the views of the victim has made them more fully appreciate the harm they have caused.