Restorative Justice: A Way Forward in Hong Kong.

Source: (2002) Paper presented at the International Conference on Offender Rehabilitation in the 21st Century. 2-5 December 2002. Hong Kong.

This paper presents a microcosmic perspective of the demand for restorative justice in Hong Kong. Offenders and victims, a primary student and university professor, juvenile offenders and lifers, prison volunteers and social workers, as well as imprisoned offenders and a rehabilitated person respectively present thirteen voices. It further elaborates that pilot project such as “The Post-superintendent Cautioning Scheme plus Family Group Conferencing,” implemented in Hong Kong, are effective and positive and can untie the inner “knots” of the parties, parents and the community involved. As such, victims are humanized with material, symbolic, and mental compensations as well as offenders can be re-socialized into the society with lower rate of recidivism. This process can enhance relationships among the parents, offenders and their offspring. This can largely improve the public safety in the community and save a great amount of outlays and expenses. In the end, the writers of this report put forward some practical suggestions on the development of restorative justice in Hong Kong which require support from the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission and the Security Bureau. These suggestions could be executed by Hong Kong Magistracy & Juvenile Court, Hong Kong Correctional Services Department, Hong Kong Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong Police Force and non-governmental organizations (such as Hong Kong Mediation Council, Hong Kong Mediation Center, Non-governmental Criminal Mediation Organizations and volunteers). Together, we can collaboratively achieve restorative justice.