The ACT Government is ramping up its restorative justice efforts with additional funding to reduce waiting times and to improve services for victim-survivors of sexual violence.
An extra restorative justice convenor will be appointed, with funding from the Confiscated Assets Trust.
RMIT University’s Centre for Innovative Justice will conduct the first comprehensive review of the ACT’s Restorative Justice Scheme since its introduction 20 years ago.
Restorative justice helps people to journey away from harm and towards healing, the ACT Government states. It is a conversation between the people most affected by an offence. The people harmed, the people responsible, and their family and friends talk about what happened; how people were affected; and how to make things better. These conversations are run by a convenor from the Restorative Justice Unit (RJ Unit), and can take place in-person or indirectly.
The Centre will review the ACT’s Restorative Justice Scheme and Crimes (Restorative Justice) Act 2004, looking at strengths of the current scheme, barriers to access and participation, and ways to make practical and evidence-based improvements to the Scheme.
The Centre will also research expanded restorative justice and alternative civil justice options for victim survivors of sexual violence, in response to recommendation 13 of the Listen. Take action to prevent, believe and heal report. This recommendation acknowledged that victim-survivors needed different ways to find justice and closure; protections built into the Restorative Justice Scheme created barriers to access for some victim-survivors.
The scheme review and research will be finalised later this year.
Elena Campbell, the Centre’s director, said: “The evidence will be put to good use to improve the implementation and accessibility of restorative justice in the ACT, and explore alternative civil justice options for victim-survivors of sexual violence.”
Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said improved access to restorative justice would provide better outcomes for more victim-survivors in the ACT justice system, and praised the benefits of the approach.
“Restorative justice provides an important mechanism for persons harmed by domestic, family and sexual violence to seek accountability and redress,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“A recent evaluation by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that restorative justice met a range of needs of victim-survivors that were difficult to achieve in other parts of the criminal justice system, including feelings of safety, being heard, and regaining a sense of control. As a result, participants reported high rates of satisfaction with their experience in restorative justice.
“The ACT’s Restorative Justice Scheme was and remains a nation-leading model of restorative justice; however, this review will ensure it remains responsive to the evolving needs of our community and takes into account contemporary best-practice in the delivery of restorative justice.
“The Centre for Innovative Justice will look at ways the ACT can continue to learn and apply a best-practice approach to alternative civil and restorative justice, to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account and advance the interests of victim-survivors.”
