Restorative Conferencing / Mediation
In almost all offences someone is harmed, and this harm most often takes the form of some kind of personal injury (this can be physical or emotional or both) and/or involves the loss of, or damage to, personal or even public property. Many victims of crime find it difficult to relate to the criminal justice system because the sentence of the court can be difficult to understand, and in reality many of the questions they have about why they became a victim go unanswered. This can compound their feelings of anxiety and fear of becoming a victim of crime again in the future.
Restorative Conferencing and Mediation are two ways in which we can help victims understand the justice system and their experience of being a victim of crime as well as helping the offender to take responsibility for their actions.
Restorative Conferencing is a process by which the victim and offender are brought together to sensitively explore these issues, often with their own supporters (family, friends etc). Of course this is not done lightly, and a lot of preparation goes into making sure this is as safe an experience as possible for all taking part – the last thing we want to see as an outcome is the victim feeling further victimised. The conference itself can help a young person to see the real impact of what they have done, and help the victim come to terms with what has happened to them. One intended outcome of the conference is to enable the young person to make an offer of reparation to the victim as a way of making amends for what they have done. Quite often this takes the form of some work or other constructive activity identified by the victim.
Mediation on the other hand is a process which normally involves only the victim and offender, but has quite similar intended outcomes – to help the victims to come to terms with their experience and to help the offender repair the damage caused. Sometimes mediation takes places at arms length where direct contact might be too distressing for the victim. This shuttle mediation (as it is known) is carried out by a facilitator who over a series of meetings will help both parties explore the issues.
The Youth Offending Service has several staff specifically trained to deliver these services.
