Restorative justice conferencing

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage · Terry O'Connell · 1991 · Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

What it is

RJC is a justice process, not a psychotherapy. A trained facilitator brings together the person harmed by a crime, the person responsible, and their kin, friends or community, so that together they can decide how the harm should be repaired. It is one of the main restorative processes alongside…

Format

• Stage 1. Referral and information. Either party can start the process. In England and Wales victims are entitled to information about restorative justice from the police (adult offender) or Youth Offending Team (offender under 18), within 5 working days of reporting, or 1 working day under Enhanced…
• Stage 3. Informed choice. Participants receive clear information about the process, benefits, risks, limits, alternatives, confidentiality and record-keeping, with time to decide. Participants have the right to consult legal counsel, and children the right to a parent or guardian.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• The psychotherapist's place. The facilitator runs the conference. The therapist's work is to help a client (harmed or responsible) decide whether to take part, assess readiness and safety, prepare, possibly attend as a supporter if the facilitator and all participants agree, and give trauma-informed support before and after. A therapist does not run a conference without restorative justice facilitator training;…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Version followed: face-to-face restorative justice conferencing (RJC) as tested in the trials of the Campbell systematic review (Strang, Sherman et al. 2013), run on the Real Justice / IIRP conference facilitator script, with the safeguards of the UNODC Handbook on Restorative Justice Programmes…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• fantasy of a perfect outcome. Working: the client can describe a good-enough outcome.
• choosing face-to-face out of a sense of duty. Working: a form chosen that the client can sustain.
• the client dismissing the plan as unnecessary. Working: a written plan the client and facilitator both know.
• pressure to have "moved on". Working: the client describes the offence as part of their story, not its whole.
• symbolic demands that set up failure; the responsible person over-promising. Working: a short, realistic list.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.