Restorative Justice Holds Offenders Personally Accountable

“The ‘Restoring Hope’ documentary on Maori TV last night, was a moving account of what happens when offenders and victims meet in a spirit of reconciliation and healing”, said Kim Workman, spokesperson for the Justice Coalition, a consortium of 12 national Justice Sector organisations. “It debunked some of the myths around restorative justice promoted by the Sensible Sentencing Trust and those who prefer to simply lock people up.

The first myth is that restorative justice doesn’t make people take personal responsibility for what they have done. The current Sentencing legislation requires offenders to be held “accountable” for their actions. In the eyes of some, sending a person to prison satisfies that criteria, in that in a remote and distanced way, offenders are paying their price to society. But how can that compete against the prospect of personally facing you victims and their whanau, and directly taking the heat for your offending? When an offender courageously stands before those they have offended, it opens up the potential for healing and restoration for everyone involved.”

“The second myth is that restorative justice has no regard for public safety. What these stories show is that as a result of the restorative justice meetings, it is more likely to reduce future victimisation and harm. People are less likely to seek revenge, whanau and communities are more likely to lead a peaceful existence, and victims are more likely to progress toward healing. Punitive measures are often justified in the name of ‘public safety’, when we know that prison increases the likelihood of reoffending. Restorative justice on the other hand, demonstrably promotes and secures safety within families and communities.”

The third myth is that restorative justice is an alternative to punishment. In all of the cases, offenders were still punished by way of imprisonment, home detention or community work. What restorative justice conferencing did, was open the way for the full social integration of offenders following punishment, and a more rapid recovery from trauma for the victims and their whanau.

The Justice Coalition is already in discussion with the Justice Sector Leadership Board about how the practise of restorative justice can be expanded from pre-sentence meeting, to in-prison and post-release programmes.

Note: The Justice Coalition is an umbrella group of 12 justice-related NGOs who are jointly committed to seek and deliver positive change across the sector. The Core Group comprises: Community Law Centres o Aotearoa, ;Henwood Trust; Howard League of Penal Reform NZ, The Coalition of Howard Leagues, Victim Support, ;Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Trust NZ; Prison Chaplaincy Service of Aotearoa NZ; Prison Fellowship NZ; Restorative Justice Aotearoa; Robson Hanan Trust; National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges; The Salvation Army

ENDS

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