Restorative justice conferences for adult offenders
Restorative justice is an internationally recognised response to criminal behaviour that gives adults charged with or convicted of an offence a chance to understand and start to repair some of the harm they have caused.
If you have harmed someone, adult restorative justice conferencing allows you to:
- own up to what you’ve done
- accept responsibility for your actions
- take steps to repair the harm or damage you’ve caused.
During the conference
At a restorative justice conference, you’re expected to accept responsibility for your behaviour and acknowledge the impact it has had on the victim.
During the session, you can talk about how and why the incident happened. The victim then talks about the incident and the impact it’s had on their life.
Victims are often very upset about what has happened to them. They usually want to express their emotions and feelings about the incident, which is a very natural response. The convenors help manage the strong emotions and direct the discussions towards a positive outcome for everyone.
The conference focuses on what happened, the effects on all parties and what can be done to repair any resulting harm. The group can discuss how the harm can be repaired.
Once you and the victim agree on the best way to make amends, you can sign an agreement with the victim.
Arranging conferencing for adult offenders
The police, prosecutor, court or corrective services can refer you for adult restorative justice conferencing with your consent.
Contact us for more information. You can also discuss adult restorative justice conferencing with your lawyer, the investigating police officer or the prosecutor.
Contact
Contact a member of the adult restorative justice conferencing team for more information.
Brisbane
(07) 3738 7014
arjc.brisbane@justice.qld.gov.au
Gold Coast
(07) 5675 7029
arjc.goldcoast@justice.qld.gov.au
Townsville
(07) 4417 8134
arjc.townsville@justice.qld.gov.au
Cairns
(07) 4037 2601
arjc.cairns@justice.qld.gov.au
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