Restorative Justice
Restorative Justice is a person-centred approach to responding to crime, conflict
and harm that focuses on repairing relationships, addressing the needs of those
affected and promoting accountability rather than punishment alone. Unlike
traditional justice systems, which primarily concentrate on determining guilt and
imposing sanctions, restorative justice seeks to bring together those harmed,
those responsible and, where appropriate, members of the wider community to
discuss the impact of the offence and agree how the harm can be repaired.
Within social work, restorative justice promotes empowerment, participation,
relationship-based practice and rehabilitation. It is used in youth justice, schools,
child protection, prisons, community justice and family support to strengthen
relationships, reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for individuals and
communities.
The modern restorative justice movement emerged during the 1970s, drawing
upon Indigenous justice traditions, particularly those of Māori communities in
New Zealand and First Nations communities in Canada, where repairing
relationships and restoring community harmony were central to resolving
conflict. Since then, restorative justice has been incorporated into criminal
justice systems internationally and has become increasingly influential within the
United Kingdom, particularly through youth justice and community-based
interventions. Research has demonstrated that restorative approaches can
improve victim satisfaction, increase offender accountability and reduce
reoffending in appropriate cases (Sherman & Strang, 2007).
A central principle of restorative justice is that crime and harmful behaviour
primarily harm people and relationships, rather than simply breaking laws.
Consequently, effective responses should focus on repairing this harm wherever
possible.
Rather than asking:
What law was broken?
Who is to blame?
What punishment is deserved?
Restorative justice asks:
Who has been harmed?
Restorative Justice is a person-centred approach to responding to crime, conflict
and harm that focuses on repairing relationships, addressing the needs of those
affected and promoting accountability rather than punishment alone. Unlike
traditional justice systems, which primarily concentrate on determining guilt and
imposing sanctions, restorative justice seeks to bring together those harmed,
those responsible and, where appropriate, members of the wider community to
discuss the impact of the offence and agree how the harm can be repaired.
Within social work, restorative justice promotes empowerment, participation,
relationship-based practice and rehabilitation. It is used in youth justice, schools,
child protection, prisons, community justice and family support to strengthen
relationships, reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for individuals and
communities.
The modern restorative justice movement emerged during the 1970s, drawing
upon Indigenous justice traditions, particularly those of Māori communities in
New Zealand and First Nations communities in Canada, where repairing
relationships and restoring community harmony were central to resolving
conflict. Since then, restorative justice has been incorporated into criminal
justice systems internationally and has become increasingly influential within the
United Kingdom, particularly through youth justice and community-based
interventions. Research has demonstrated that restorative approaches can
improve victim satisfaction, increase offender accountability and reduce
reoffending in appropriate cases (Sherman & Strang, 2007).
A central principle of restorative justice is that crime and harmful behaviour
primarily harm people and relationships, rather than simply breaking laws.
Consequently, effective responses should focus on repairing this harm wherever
possible.
Rather than asking:
What law was broken?
Who is to blame?
What punishment is deserved?
Restorative justice asks:
Who has been harmed?
