Advantages and Benefits
Advantages of Restorative Justice
For Offenders:
- Uses age and developmentally appropriate dynamics to change the young person's thinking and behaviour;
- Focuses on addressing offending behaviour in a pragmatic and respectful manner;
- Models socially appropriate solutions to conflict;
- Avoids excessive and longer term criminal justice interventions;
- Encourages the family, family group and/or significant others to support their young person;
- Enables the young person to contribute to an outcome plan;
- Allows for reparation to the victim directly or indirectly where appropriate; and
- Facilitates an opportunity for restoration to the family, family group and reintegration within the community.
For an Offenders Family/Community Group:
- Enables effective participation in the decision-making and planning process;
- Shares the responsibility for supporting the young person with other members of his/her support network; and
- Examines the impact of the young person's offending on his/her family/family group.
Victims:
- Allows for active participation in the justice process;
- Reduces the cost of follow-up counseling through facilitating a 'healing" resolution ;
- Enables victims to benefit from reparation where appropriate; and
- Consults victims in a respectful and non-adversarial manner.
The Wider Community:
- Provides an opportunity for a diverse range of relationships to form.
- Promotes healing and a restoration of harmony in the community.
The Justice System:
- Offers an alternative sentencing and diversion option to the courts;
- Promotes improved victim satisfaction with the justice process; and
- Promotes the community's trust in the justice system.
Cultural Diversity:
- Recognizes and responds to cultural diversity.
- Encourages the involvement of family members and other significant members of the offender's community.
- Takes advantage of resources and networks that are already available in the family and community.