The restorative justice process has been extended to victims of family violence and sexual offences.
Minister for Justice, Shane Rattenbury said the third and final phase of the voluntary Restorative Justice Scheme would allow both victims and those responsible for offending the option to participate in a facilitated and supported conferencing process.
“The decision to move into phase three of the Restorative Justice Scheme follows extensive consultation with community stakeholders, and particularly victims’ advocacy agencies,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Restorative justice is designed to empower victims of crime to express how an offence has affected them, while promoting offender accountability.”
He said phase three of the scheme would be another important tool to address the impact of violence against women, children and other vulnerable members of the community.
“When victims of crime have access to a safe setting where they can describe how that crime has impacted their life, it creates a platform for acknowledgement, validation and healing,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Restorative justice will be used only where the victim has agreed to the process.”
He said those who had caused the harm must agree to make commitments to attend support services as part of the restorative justice program, to strengthen their ability to take responsibility for their offending behaviour, and to discover empathy towards their victim.
“Not every victim of crime will want to access restorative justice, but for those who do, I am pleased this option is now available to them,” Mr Rattenbury said.
