Criminology 220
Part (A): Victimology
Chapter 7: Restorative Justice in South Africa
, 1. Outline the objectives of restorative justice:
The UN handbook on restorative justice programmes lists a number of objectives that can be
summarised as follows:
Supporting victims, giving them a voice (empowerment ).
Repairing relationship between the victim and the offender.
Denouncing criminal behaviour as unacceptable and reaffirming community values.
Offender must accept responsibility (must be aware of the impact of the offence).
Reducing recidivism and facilitating reintegration of the offender into the community.
Identifying factors that lead to crime and informing authorities responsible for crime
reduction strategies.
2. Explain the reasons for the interest in restorative justice:
The fact that criminal proceedings tend to exclude victims, despite the fact that they are the
very people most affected by the crime incident.
The inadequacies in the conceptual foundations or practices of criminal justice.
The recognition that imprisonment causes suffering and debiliration.
The inadequacies of retribution alone as a governing theory.
The appropriateness of making offenders accountable to their victims.
3. By assessing the needs of crime victims, indicate what victims of crime need from the
criminal justice system.
The needs of victim can be conceptualised in various ways:
The need for access to justice and fair treatment
The need for contact with the criminal justice system
The need for safety
The need for information
The need for assistance and services
The need for continuity
The need to have a voice
The need for validation and acknowledgement
The need for restitution, redress and apology
Zehr suggests that being victimised undermines the following underlying assumptions or pillars on
which we build our sense of safety, wholeness and identity:
Autonomy
We need to feel that we have control over our own lives or at least important parts of our
lives.
At the time of a crime incident, someone takes control over the life of another; this sense of
being out of control persists as dreams and intense feelings continue to impose themselves.
This loss of control is demoralising, and affect one’s sense of safety, identity and wellbeing.
Order
Part (A): Victimology
Chapter 7: Restorative Justice in South Africa
, 1. Outline the objectives of restorative justice:
The UN handbook on restorative justice programmes lists a number of objectives that can be
summarised as follows:
Supporting victims, giving them a voice (empowerment ).
Repairing relationship between the victim and the offender.
Denouncing criminal behaviour as unacceptable and reaffirming community values.
Offender must accept responsibility (must be aware of the impact of the offence).
Reducing recidivism and facilitating reintegration of the offender into the community.
Identifying factors that lead to crime and informing authorities responsible for crime
reduction strategies.
2. Explain the reasons for the interest in restorative justice:
The fact that criminal proceedings tend to exclude victims, despite the fact that they are the
very people most affected by the crime incident.
The inadequacies in the conceptual foundations or practices of criminal justice.
The recognition that imprisonment causes suffering and debiliration.
The inadequacies of retribution alone as a governing theory.
The appropriateness of making offenders accountable to their victims.
3. By assessing the needs of crime victims, indicate what victims of crime need from the
criminal justice system.
The needs of victim can be conceptualised in various ways:
The need for access to justice and fair treatment
The need for contact with the criminal justice system
The need for safety
The need for information
The need for assistance and services
The need for continuity
The need to have a voice
The need for validation and acknowledgement
The need for restitution, redress and apology
Zehr suggests that being victimised undermines the following underlying assumptions or pillars on
which we build our sense of safety, wholeness and identity:
Autonomy
We need to feel that we have control over our own lives or at least important parts of our
lives.
At the time of a crime incident, someone takes control over the life of another; this sense of
being out of control persists as dreams and intense feelings continue to impose themselves.
This loss of control is demoralising, and affect one’s sense of safety, identity and wellbeing.
Order
