Restorative justice gives victims the chance to meet or communicate with their offender to explain the real impact of the crime - it empowers victims by giving them a voice. Restorative justice often involves a meeting called a conference, where a victim meets their offender face to face.
Sometimes, when a face to face meeting is not the best way forward, the victim and offender will communicate through letters, recorded interviews, video or via a facilitator instead. While every case is different, there are some issues which many survivors of sexual harm have talked about experiencing. Restorative justice can help survivors to get answers to their questions and to directly tell the person who harmed them how they have been impacted.
Many survivors feel that the criminal justice system does not give them a chance to get involved, but restorative justice puts them at the heart of the justice process.
This can empower survivors and help them to move on. Restorative justice holds offenders to account and can give them an opportunity to make amends. Restorative justice has to be very carefully considered in cases of sexual harm, and can usually only be considered when initiated by the survivor. If the offender is known to the survivor it may add additional risk factors. No one should ever be expected or in any way pressurised to take part, and, in order to make sure the process is safe, restorative justice should only happen when there is a facilitator with the right skills and experience available.
They must have completed suitable training and have specific expertise in sexual harm. They will decide whether the process is appropriate and, if it goes ahead, make sure that the survivor is kept safe.
