Release Date: 2008-05-15
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_145149.html
Restorative justice can help reduce re-offending and improve the experience of victims of crime in the criminal justice system, Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said today as he opened the 2008 Law Week Restorative Justice Conference. “While restorative justice is a relatively new concept for justice in Victoria, there is growing evidence of its benefits, including promoting victims’ healing and producing promising results for reducing re-offending,” Mr Hulls said.
(PressZoom.com) - Restorative justice can help reduce re-offending and improve the experience of victims of crime in the criminal justice system, Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said today as he opened the 2008 Law Week Restorative Justice Conference.
“While restorative justice is a relatively new concept for justice in Victoria, there is growing evidence of its benefits, including promoting victims’ healing and producing promising results for reducing re-offending,” Mr Hulls said.
The Victorian Association for Restorative Justice is hosting the conference as part of Law Week 2008.
The Brumby Government plans to expand initiatives for restorative justice in the second Justice Statement, to be released later this year, which aims to reduce the cost of justice and create a unified and engaged court system that will be more responsive to public needs and expectations.
Restorative justice initiatives in Victoria include a group conference program which is available to 10 to 18-year-old offenders and their victims in Children’s Courts. A review of the program showed that offenders were less likely to re-offend after taking part in group conferencing.
“Group conferencing can be a powerful way of bringing home to offenders the damage they have caused to the victim,“ Mr Hulls said.
Earlier this year, a group conferencing program was launched for 18 to 25-year-old offenders and their victims at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre.
“The program at the NJC is a Victorian first and brings together offenders with victims, families and members of the community,” Mr Hulls said.
“Restorative justice is a key part of the NJC, which as a community justice centre provides a supportive environment in which to trial restorative approaches.”
Evaluation of the NJC program, spanning three years, will include feedback from victims.
A recent study by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics showed that youth justice conferencing can reduce re-offending by 15 to 25 per cent.
“Restorative justice is about coming up with innovative ways to address the harm caused by crime, help reduce the risk of re-offending and strengthen people’s faith in our criminal justice system,” Mr Hulls said.
“Restorative justice is about bringing meaning and ownership to the process for all who come before a court.”
The Victorian Department of Justice is developing a Restorative Justice Policy Framework to guide future work by the department in this area.