Aideen McLaughlin Assistant Director

2. Aideen McLaughlin Assistant Director

3. Restorative Justice – The challenges for a retributive system • Introduction – Brief reminder of where we have come from • The process – from the early phase to building confidence • How to achieve success • Where are we now? • Challenges for the future

4. Where have we come from? • Criminal Justice Review recommended greater involvement of victims in CJS • Development of specific legislation Justice NI Order 2002 • Shift from tariff system to restorative – greater involvement of key stakeholders namely victims and young people

5. Challenges – the early days • Inclusion of all key stakeholders • Phasing a roll-out of services • Working with resistance – building confidence through addressing apathy, enlisting research, and transparency, championing ethos of restorative justice • Engaging with local communities

6. Building Confidence • Engaging young people and victims in this process • Proportionality • Ensuring dedicated, committed staff who have a belief in restorative practices • Accredited training • Setting targets – young person and victim attendance rates

7. Building confidence contd… • Bespoke plans – tailored to needs of victim and young person • Post-conference monitoring – keeping young people to their word • Keeping our word – non-compliance and breach • Working with the more serious or persistent young person who has offended

8. Achieving success • Stakeholder confidence – serious referrals • Young person (offender) participation • Victim participation and satisfaction • No delay • Sentencers making Orders • Further research • CJ inspection • Re-offending

9. Where are we now? • Over 3,000 referrals • Throughout NI since December 2006 • Established partnerships working with PSNI, PPS Courts and Communities • 13,000 people involved in Conferences • Achieving victim attendance targets • Achieving satisfaction – victims and young people

10. Sexual offending • Serious assaults • Offences where the Court considers need to protect the public

11. Challenges for the future • Move from passive to active responsibility • Celebrate achievement (Maruna 2007) • Secure diverse community reparation • Work to achieve reintegration for young person and satisfaction for victim • Maintain stakeholder satisfaction • Engaging with persistent offenders

12. www.youthjusticeagency.gov.uk