It recognises the needs of the victims, who are at present so often left out altogether, and creates an opportunity for them to confront the offender with the hurt they have caused, in a face to face meeting in a controlled and supportive environment. It puts a human face on the victim for the offender, which can be the first step to understanding, remorse and apology. Restorative Justice is tougher, and more demanding. It offers a chance for the offender to make reparation of some sort, and to be supported and mentored by others in the family or community who will hold them accountable for taking the steps they have promised. It can rebuild the family relationships which have gone wrong in the first place.
Offenders say it is the hardest thing they have ever had to do.
There is strong evidence already that restorative justice is a viable alternative. A pilot adult scheme in Timaru, called Project Turnaround, has been operating since 1993 and the results are outstanding. Imprisonment figures are down 400 percent over the past five years, and crime rates have dropped nearly every year since it was introduced. In Auckland, where more than 100 adult cases of restorative justice were conducted last year, judges are high in their praise of the alternative system's potential. Habilitation Centres - part of the solution As far back as 1989 an official Prison Systems Review, ie the Roper Report, recommended the adoption of Habilitation Centres as an alternative to prison and gave details of how they could work.