Restorative justice: the views of victims and offenders.

Source: (2007) London: Ministry of Justice.

This is the third report on the evaluation of three restorative justice schemes funded by the Home Office
under its Crime Reduction Programme from mid-2001: CONNECT, the Justice Research Consortium (JRC)
and REMEDI. The three schemes were designed to focus on adult offenders, some of whom were convicted
of very serious offences.
The definition of restorative justice adopted was: “Restorative justice is a process whereby parties with
a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its
implications for the future” (Marshall 1999). The experiences and views of participants, particularly victims
and offenders, were hence a key element of the evaluation. Interviews (or, occasionally, the opportunity to
complete a questionnaire) were offered to all victims and offenders who participated in restorative justice. (excerpt)