Restorative Justice

What is Restorative Justice?
Restorative justice refers to a process whereby those affected by an incident of wrongdoing come together in a safe and controlled environment, to share their feelings and opinions truthfully and resolve together how best to deal with its aftermath. The process is called restorative because it is concerned primarily with restoring the dignity and well-being of those harmed by the incident.

What does Restorative Justice Otago do?
We have a contract with the Ministry of Justice and are the only provider in Otago to provide restorative justice services to the Dunedin and Alexandra Courts of Law.
When an offender has pleaded guilty or been found guilty in court, a judge decides if restorative justice should be explored. It is a voluntary process for both the offender and the victim. If the offender is willing to take part, the case will be assessed to see if it is suited to restorative justice. Then the victim will be contacted to ask if they are interested in talking about it with the facilitators.

What people have said about Restorative Justice
"It cleared up a lot of things and restored my faith in people.  The residue to irrational fear was sorted."

"Good to get a bit of closure and meet the victim.  I would definitely recommend Restorative Justice.  I really appreciate the service you provide."

To read more about this service, check out the article from our newsletter