Summary
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More weight is now being given in many criminal justice systems to the needs and wishes of victims. Few jurisdictions, however, have gone as far as the recently introduced system of youth justice in New Zealand. There, a meeting is arranged between the victim (or their representatives), the young person who committed the offence, his or her family and a police officer to decide the appropriate response to the offending. The arguments behind this were that it would increase victims' satisfaction, enhance the prospects of reconciliation and provide a more effective means of restitution and reparation. In this article, the authors examine the extent to which these objectives have been met and make recommendations for improving victim satisfaction with the process.
