Restorative Justice - Forensic Psychology
RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE…
- This is fundamentally different to other forms of punishment – as it involves the offender making amends directly with the victim in some way – it is a process of healing between the victim and the offender.
- It recognises that crime doesn’t just violate the law, but also violates relationships between members of society – it enables the offenders to see the consequences of their actions and lets the victims have their say.
- It emphasises repairing the harm caused by the crime – the process may involve face-to-face encounters, practical reparation (eg. fixing something they broke) or financial restitution (eg. giving money in return from the items they took).
- It can be an alternative to a custodial sentence (eg. as a final warning for young offenders) or as an add-on to sentencing, or as part of the process for preparing an offender for release.
- This is fundamentally different to other forms of punishment – as it involves the offender making amends directly with the victim in some way – it is a process of healing between the victim and the offender.
- It recognises that crime doesn’t just violate the law, but also violates relationships between members of society – it enables the offenders to see the consequences of their actions and lets the victims have their say.
- It emphasises repairing the harm caused by the crime – the process may involve face-to-face encounters, practical reparation (eg. fixing something they broke) or financial restitution (eg. giving money in return from the items they took).
- It can be an alternative to a custodial sentence (eg. as a final warning for young offenders) or as an add-on to sentencing, or as part of the process for preparing an offender for release.
Sherman and Strang (2007) collected data from
36 studies comparing re-offending rates of those who’d undergone restorative
justice to those who had not, and found that repeat offending was reduced for
some offenders and that it also reduced the post-traumatic stress symptoms in
the victims. This provides evidence in favor of restorative justice programmes.
P: Victims are often reluctant to meet the
offender
E: It is also possible that the offender doesn’t truly feel any remorse and is just using it as an ‘easy-way out’
E: Therefore, it may not always be effective or beneficial
E: It is also possible that the offender doesn’t truly feel any remorse and is just using it as an ‘easy-way out’
E: Therefore, it may not always be effective or beneficial
P: Andrews and Bonta (2006) concluded that in
some cases restorative justice schemes can lead to a significant reduction in
the rates of recidivism.
E: This is further supported by Sherman and Strang (2007)
E: This suggests that restorative justice can be effective and it does have some benefits
E: This is further supported by Sherman and Strang (2007)
E: This suggests that restorative justice can be effective and it does have some benefits
P: Often Restorative Justice programmes suffer
frok high rates of attrition because either offenders or victims drop out before
the programme has finished
E: For example, the victim may ‘lose their nerve’ prior to the scheduled
meeting and withdraw from the scheme
E: This means that, in practice, it may not always be the best and most cost-effective solution.
E: This means that, in practice, it may not always be the best and most cost-effective solution.
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