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.
