A Business Case for Restorative Justice and Policing

From the article written by ACC Garry Shewan, ACPO Lead on Restorative and Community Justice written for the Restorative Justice Consortium's quarterly newsletter Resolution.

There is already widespread evidence worldwide about the positive impact that Restorative Justice (RJ) can have on both offending behaviour and upon victims. 

RJ is not a new phenomenon and has been around for a number of years. It has developed at varying degrees around the world. For example the use of restorative justice has been embedded in Aboriginal and Maori cultures in Australia and New Zealand for centuries.

However, the uptake of the process has been much slower in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly within the UK.

Criminological theories such as Labelling and Re-integrative shaming suggests that retributive justice can make matters worse by alienating both offender and victim.  Offenders stigmatized by the CJS are often drawn together to form their own sub cultures (often with higher social capital than the communities they offend – Rhys Jones).  The needs of ‘communities’ when faced with law breaking and anti-social behaviour are different from purely revenge and payback.

RJ focuses on the victim as the core element in the process, whether it is an individual, group of people or indeed the community as a whole.  Victims are not left outside of the process feeling little control – it places them at the centre.  It seeks to heal the responses and implications of crime and wrong-doing by meeting the needs of victims, offenders and communities.

Jul 13, 2010 Country:England&Wales, Police, Region: Europe

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