What is restorative justice?
Restorative justice is a theory of justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of harm caused by crime and wrongdoing to individuals, relationships and community.
People affected by crime often feel they have no voice in traditional justice processes. Restorative justice recognises this gap and can give you the opportunity to have your say, outside of the formal legal framework.
This process is managed by the NSW Government, Restorative Justice Unit. The Unit can safely bring together the victim/s, offender/s, and other stakeholders, such as police, community members and families, to talk about what happened, how people have been affected and what can be done to make things better. Restorative justice is voluntary and can only proceed if agreed to by all parties
Restorative justice can bring offenders and the person/people they have harmed together, to explore the impact of the crime. This can lead to an opportunity for the offender to take responsibility for what they have done.
If you would like to find out whether restorative justice is right for you, contact the Restorative Justice Unit by phone (02 8688 6835) or email restorative.justice@dcj.nsw.gov.au
An experienced facilitator can answer your questions, send you a DVD or arrange a visit to talk further about the process.
Would you like to refer to our Victim Support Unit?
Please note you can refer yourself to our service, as well as family and friends with consent to do so, or if you are an agency representative you can refer a client you are working with. An intake screening will take place to ensure eligibility prior to consultation with our Victim Support Unit.
Click on the corresponding button below and fill in as many details as possible so we can best assist you through intake.
(Select the above option also if you are a family member or friend)
