• Restorative justice is a participative process in which all the parties directly affected by an offence are actively involved in its resolution with help from a facilitator.
• The resolution aims to put right the damage as far as possible. It seeks to balance the concerns of the victim and the community with the need to reintegrate the offender into society.

Who Will Be Involved?

• Any person who has been the victim of an offence where there is an identifiable young offender who is willing to participate in the process.
• Any person who has committed an offence, has pleaded guilty and is accepting responsibility for his or her actions.
• Victim / offender mediation is always initiated by a Youth Offender Team police officer.

Why should I consider Restorative Justice?

Benefits for victims:

• An explanation of why the offence was committed.
• An awareness of what is happening to the young person in the criminal justice system (i.e. Sentence imposed in court).
• The opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the young person (either face to face or through a facilitator).

Benefits for young people:

• Some young people feel genuine remorse for their crimes and need to apologise to their victims as a way of 'making amends'.
• Gives the young person the opportunity to take responsibility for their offence and think about their actions in the future.
• Enabling young people to understand the consequences of their behaviour on others.

How Does It Work?

For victims:

• After giving consent you will be contacted by a facilitator / mediator from the youth offending team. He or she will answer your queries wherever possible and discuss how you would wish to proceed. All conversations are confidential and you may stop the process at any stage.

For young people:

• You will be interviewed by a facilitator / mediator from the youth offending team. He or she will explain the process with you and discuss any concerns you may have. All conversations are confidential and you may withdraw at any time.