Restorative Justice conferences are directed by judges.
The process
- Referral made by the Judge upon a guilty plea
- Addresses the crime by discussing the impacts on the victims and their whānau
- Aims to put things right for people who have been victims of crime.
- Puts the people most affected by crime at the heart of the justice system.
- Offenders take responsibility and offer to put things right for victims.
- Puts emphasis on taking accountability and repairing harm caused by offending.
- A conference is a guided, safe and voluntary meeting between those who have been harmed and those who have caused harm. Our team will prepare you for this meeting and work to ensure that what happens is safe, appropriate, and responsive to the needs of all participants.
At the conference
- It is an opportunity for the person who caused harm to acknowledge the harm and take accountability for their actions.
- Victims can tell the offender how they have been affected, have a say in how the harm can be repaired and begin to resolve some of the effects of the offence.
- Offenders can apologise directly to the victim and hear about the impact of their actions.
- Offenders take part in deciding how the harm can be repaired.
Participation is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time.
