Being a facilitator for the court-referred restorative justice pilot has been an "absolutely huge growing experience" for a woman who has notched up 14 conferences.  

  "I walk away feeling I have done my little bit to make the world a better place,"says facilitator Sharon Barton of Waipareira Restorative Justice Providers.   

Sharon says that she has seen the results of a conference having a "ripple effect in repairing relationships within families and their wider communities."

Sharon has bumped into participants afterwards." Without exception the feedback has been extremely positive. On more than one occasion participants have commented that their participation in a conference has literally turned their lives around. I'm honoured to be part of that process."

In one such case, Sharon met an offender several months after he was given a chance at a job as a result of a conference.  

He was working hard and had stopped using drugs. "He hugged me and thanked me for encouraging him to be the best he could."

Sharon's background is in management and counselling. She has also trained in Maori language and culture.

"The more conferences I do the less I feel the focus is about me."

Sharon believes that if she puts in the work to prepare people for a conference, the process is more likely to take care of itself. "I never know what to expect. People come from such a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. I've been from one extreme to the other. If I go in open-minded and let the process happen within the guidelines of the pilot training that was provided, it is a very natural process.  

"I only step in if the process breaks down. If there are silences, tensions or awkwardness I am now more inclined to
let it go. These are often times of high emotion which deserve an appropriate amount of recognition and respect. When conversation happens, it happens naturally. If I jump in too quickly it turns the process back to me and it's not about me."

Sharon says that sometimes it is a challenge to balance out different cultures, especially if English is a second language for the offender or victim.

"My role is to get across to participants what the process is about so that they can make an informed decision about taking part."

Sometimes this involves having to 'undo' preconceived ideas -- some of which come from police and lawyers.

Sharon gets 'really disappointed' if she doesn't get the opportunity to meet a victim or offender and explain the process. "Some people absolutely refuse to meet to find out what it involves."

Sometimes this is because they have been told not to take any reparation, or they think that restorative justice will be a soft option for the offender.  

In one case, an offender believed he would be asked to repay large sums of money he couldn't afford, and it would reflect badly on him at sentencing.   

"It is disappointing when they have some opinion before hand, and you don't have a chance to meet them and give them the full picture, mostly for their own sake."

Police who have attended the conferences have been "absolutely shocked to see what really happens. They say things like "I never had any idea how much courage it takes for an offender to take part."  

"Conferences are always magic. They are almost mystical. Words like healing and reconciliation don't mean squat when you see people hugging and crying. It is indescribable."


Reprinted from Te Ara Whakatika: Newsletter of the court-referred restorative justice project. May/June 2002. Issue 10.

 

March  2003