Restorative justice for adults who have caused harm

[On screen text] What happens before a restorative justice conference?

Andrew Robinson, Adult Restorative Justice Conferencing Convenor: There's a number of steps before actually bringing the people together.

And we need to be absolutely certain, of course, that the conference isn't going to cause any further harm.

Kirsten Eades, Executive Director, Community Justice Services, Department of Justice: There's a lot of work that goes into the process before the session goes ahead and that's mainly with the parties separately.

And it's talking through what their concerns are, how they're feeling, what it is that they want to discuss at the conference. Perhaps what it is that they don't want to discuss. Are there certain places they don't want to go with that conversation. And really preparing them for, you know, this is what it looks like on the day so that they're not walking into a space where they feel uncomfortable.

Andrew: So the first step is inviting people in for an initial interview with us so that we can elaborate on what's involved in the process, find out from them what happened from their own perspective, find out how they were impacted and what sort of outcomes that they might be seeking.

And then for the person that caused the harm, it's finding out whether they're able to meet the needs of the people that they've harmed.

Once we've done that, we help the parties agree in principle to the outcomes of the conference. So, what can be done to repair the harm. And once we're certain of those details, we'll work with the parties to try to set down a day and time and location to bring them together for the conference.

So it's common that, you know, we can sometimes check in with people 3, 4, maybe 5 times. As many times as it takes to make sure that they're prepared.

We're very careful to identify supports that the participants need. So, what we'd be doing if you're a participant of the conference, is encouraging you to bring a support person. So mum, dad, another family member, a close friend. Sometimes people bring their counsellors.

Kirsten: Often, you know, parties will say that they felt very, very prepared for the session because the convenors spent a whole lot of time with them prior to and in the lead-up to the session taking place to really prepare them and to make them feel at ease about participating.

[On screen text] For more information visit www.qld.gov.au/adultrestorativejustice

[On screen text] What happens during a face-to-face restorative justice conference?

Andrew Robinson, Adult Restorative Justice Conferencing Convenor: Conferences can take place really in any suitable venue that's safe and private and accessible.

It's a community process and so it's ensuring that the participants are safe and comfortable with the location of the conference.

Kirsten Eades, Executive Director, Community Justice Services, Department of Justice: There's also different ways they can participate. So, they may come to a face-to-face session, or they may come via video conferencing or by telephone. They may not attend at all. They may have someone represent them or they may provide a statement that can be read on their behalf.

[On screen text] What happens when participants arrive at the conference?

Andrew: So, the conference is when the actual meeting of the people that are involved happens. And so, what you'll expect is that you'll know the location that it's happening at, you'll know who's attending the conference, and you'll already know what the outcomes are.

[On screen text] Private pre-conference check-in

Andrew: On the day of the conference, we check in with the parties individually before bringing them into the conference. Just to give them an opportunity to speak with us in private before the conference begins. After that, that's when we bring people together in the conference space.

[On screen text] Introductions

Andrew: We get everybody seated. We then facilitate introductions, so everyone knows who each other is, make a few remarks that deal with the formalities of the occasion, and then we help people to discuss what happened.

[On screen text] Convenor guides the conversation about what happened

Andrew: The way that we do that is everyone has a chance to speak in turn without interruption. It's usual that we would start with the person that caused the harm, because we know that that's an important step in accounting for what they've done in the presence of the people they've harmed.

The important thing is, while they're speaking everyone else remains silent and listening because after they've finished, then the person who's been harmed has an opportunity to talk about what happened from their perspective.

[On screen text] Support people can share their views

Andrew: We also like to include support people. And so, when it's their turn, we might ask them things like, you know, when did you find out about what happened? What impact did you see it have on your loved one? And what are your hopes for the future?

[On screen text] Focus on the future

Andrew: After everyone's had an opportunity to talk about the incident that brought them together, we then change the focus towards the future. And we usually do that by crossing back over to the person who's caused the harm and asking, is there anything you'd like to say at this time?

And that's their cue to offer an apology and any other reflections that are constructive that they have about what’s happened.

[On screen text] Finalise the outcomes

Andrew: After that, that’s where we help solidify the outcomes that the people have already agreed to in principle.

We formalise that by putting it in writing and then that really signals the conclusion of the conference process. However, if there are steps that the person responsible has agreed to take, then we'll work with them for a short period of time after the conference to help them fulfil what's happened.

We then report to the agency that referred it. So whether that's the police or the Director of Public Prosecutions, we let them know the outcome of the conference and then we withdraw from the process.

[On screen text] For more information visit www.qld.gov.au/adultrestorativejustice