“restorative justice in schools, the work place, the community, prisons, the criminal justice system and any other situation where conflict arises”. 

The mechanism of the review was to use a paper by Robert Mackay, containing an outline for a Statement of Principles. Firstly, there was substantial discussion over an email discussion group, with comments from a wide range of people. Then, the   working party held three meetings  in the office, where the group made some substantive decisions, and worked through the text until a consensus was reached for the new Principles. 

One of the discussions was about accessibility of language, including the inclusion of technical terms, as there is a tension between having very accessible language and reference to terms that have precise meanings in professional and legal contexts. 

The new “Statement of Restorative Justice Principles” has recently been completed by the working party. To see the document, please go to: http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/standard.html 

The next stage will be to write separate chapters for the practice areas of youth justice, adult justice, schools, prisons, workplaces, and the community. Sub groups for this exercise are currently being established. It is hoped that the final document will provide a useful source for practitioners and policy makers alike. 

For any further information relating to the Principles, please contact the Restorative Justice Consortium at info@restorativejustice.org.uk.
 

Clair Phillips

Policy Officer, Restorative Justice Consortium