“Restorative justice can work to repair harm caused by the offence; increase the offender’s sense of responsibility for the offence; provide an opportunity for the victim to receive reparation and/or an apology; provide an opportunity for the victim to ask questions and receive information from the offender; provide a means for victims to talk about how the incident impacted them; giving victims an opportunity to take back power and maximise the opportunity to provide victims, offenders, and the community a sense of justice,” said Dr Marie Keenan from the UCD School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin who led the study.
The study recognises that restorative justice is not for everyone, but says that victims should have a choice on whether it is part of the criminal justice system or runs alongside it. It recommends that “a three-year pilot project of Restorative Justice in certain cases of sexual violence be established in Ireland as a matter of urgency, with a specified agency established for this purpose”….
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