Victims confront thief in jail
March 21, 2011
When he struck at the family home, he made off with their car, which contained a pool cue that belonged to her son, Ian, who has Down’s syndrome. The cue had been a birthday present and it was Ian’s pride and joy. Since the break-in, he has not played pool again. The thief had...
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Restorative justice and the challenge of prison reform
March 21, 2011
In the early stages of transforming towards a restorative prison, victims and community are provided with information about restorative justice practices and ‘the situation of imprisoned offenders and what is likely at the end of their sentences’. Victims of crime support groups...
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Volunteer hopes McKnight award will bring attention to Somali issues
March 21, 2011
The group discusses the incident and decides how it should be resolved – usually with a written apology and community service. The program also requires that the parents participate in the resolution process. “We are doing that to strengthen the institution of parents and family so...
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Restorative justice for teens charged in jetski death
March 21, 2011
Ricardo Maaka and Teimana Harrison, both 18, have pleaded guilty to operating a ship in a manner likely to cause unnecessary danger to persons or property. Judge McGuire did not enter convictions and referred them to the Mana Social Services restorative justice programme. Read the whole...
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No restorative justice for those bereaved by Potters Bar
March 21, 2011
In February 2007 the case for a public inquiry was revived by the Grayrigg train crash, which happened for much the same reasons – that is, the failure of a set of points due to inadequate maintenance. It took successive transport secretaries another three years to decide not to have a...
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The power of penal populism in New Zealand from 1999 to 2008
March 17, 2011
The referendum also influenced political discourse in New Zealand, with politicians increasingly using ‘tough on crime’ policies in election campaigns as it was believed that this was what ‘the public’ wanted when it came to criminal justice issues. As part of...
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TV captures killer driver’s remorse
March 16, 2011
It was the first time that a New Zealand TV crew has captured the frequently emotional arena that is a restorative justice conference. ….Facilitators put many hours of work into setting up meetings, and in the case of the Kristy King conference they met some of the people involved three...
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I am sorry for breaking into your house
March 14, 2011
Dear Mr. M., Hi my name is J. I was the individual who entered your house without your permission and stole your stuff and disrespected your house. I would first like to start by saying that I am truly sorry for the pain and trouble I caused you. My actions were completely unacceptable. There...
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Sample Circle script, a guideline that does not replace training
March 14, 2011
….Step 1. Getting Acquainted: The conference has four parts. The first part is getting acquainted and we will do that by identifying our values. I am going to pass out paper plates and ask you to think of someone who is really important to you. After you think of the person, think...
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Hate crime victims to face offenders
March 14, 2011
The radical scheme is said to offer more satisfaction to victims, reduce legal costs and result in swifter action. It can be dealt with by trained police officers outside of the courts. ….Analysis of a similar scheme run by the Cheshire force showed a dramatic drop in reoffender rates....
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Restorative justice for people who are innocent & wrongfully imprisoned
March 13, 2011
The pain of losing a parent and losing children is huge and often the result when mothers and fathers go to prison. In this case both the children and the mother were able to hear and express their feelings and thoughts. It was a heartwarming process where not only was there some healing of...
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Private homes shun restorative justice
March 7, 2011
Research conducted by the Prison Reform Trust has revealed that the cost of training staff in restorative techniques has led to private children’s homes in particular choosing not to invest in the approach. In the last decade the number of private children’s homes has increased...
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Restorative justice for recovering addicts
March 7, 2011
The person in recovery often needs to mend severely damaged relationships with family and loved ones, she said. ….The idea, Lindquist said, is for the person in recovery to face their family and friends, and make a sort of social contract with them on how to move forward with the...
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Possible ABC TV series showing victim-offender encounters
March 7, 2011
ABC News is in the early stages of producing a series built around the journeys of people who have survived personal trauma. In each hour-long episode, we’re hoping to profile a person who has decided to meet someone from their past who has either directly or indirectly inflicted trauma...
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Interview with Professor Nicola Lacey
March 3, 2011
Rethinking: It strikes me that the Justice system is supposed to be an almost cold and impartial system in many respects and this call for vengeance is the exact opposite. NL: That’s right. We have had a sort of overreaction. Of course it is true that up until 25 years ago victims...
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