Healing the harm caused by offending
Restorative Justice gives people who have been harmed and those who have caused harm the opportunity to talk to each other in a safe and supportive environment and discuss how the harm might be repaired.
It is a process that:
- Places those who have been harmed at its centre and seeks to heal the effects of crime and wrong doing.
- Gives those who have been harmed a way to have a voice and seek ways to have their needs met.
- Allows people that have caused harm to understand the their behaviour, take responsibility for their choices, and to learn and grow from the experience.
Restorative justice is voluntary. You have the right to stop a restorative justice process at any time.
Why take part?
Restorative Justice is about community. It can empower communities to deal with offending according to their own values.
Restorative justice:
- Gives those who have been harmed a way to have a voice and seek ways to have their needs met.
- It gives those who have committed an offence or caused harm a way to take responsibility for the harm they have caused and start putting things right.
Studies show that restorative justice can reduce re-offending. It allows for outcomes such as reparation, counselling, rehabilitation or simply a genuine apology and explanation.
What people say about Restorative Justice
- “The facilitators were respectful and professional throughout. Nothing but the highest praise for both of them.”
- “Powerful experience not only for me but for my whole immediate family. Thank you for this opportunity.”
- “This was an extremely positive process, allowing me to not only voice my views but to hear from the offender. I really hope that she found it as helpful and can move forward with her life.”
- “Very happy with the facilitators. They made the process mana enhancing for both parties. Their mannerisms helped us to feel respected and cared for. Our cultural needs were met to the highest degree. We would recommend this to anyone.”
- “This is true justice as both parties are able to speak their mind and understand both sides to move forward and put it behind them.”
- “Got a lot out of it. I was apprehensive going into it and reluctant to participate, but I am pleased I did. I finally feel I can move on with my life.”
- “The experience was far better than I anticipated and conducted with respect and sympathy for all of us.”
How does the Restorative Justice process work?
For court based referrals:
- The person who has caused harm pleads guilty and agrees to take part in a meeting.
- People who have been harmed are contacted to see if they are interested in finding out more about restorative justice.
- Trained facilitators meet separately with each party and their support people.
- People can stop the process at any time.
- Facilitators can also decide not to proceed if the Ministry of Justice criteria is not met.
- If appropriate, a conference is held with the people involved and their support people. At a conference people are asked to talk honestly about what happened, how it caused harm and to work out ways forward.
- After the conference a report is sent to the court. The report what happened at the conference and any agreements made.
It is important to note that we offer a professional service; our facilitators are trained and accredited to work with people.
When can RJ take place?
Please contact us if you would like to be involved in a restorative process. You can start the process:
- Prior to sentencing
- After sentencing
- Prior to release from prison.
Our Restorative Justice Team
Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley provides Restorative Justice services in the wider Wellington region.
To access our free services:
04 460 4460
restorativejustice@wclc.org.nz
Staff working in this area are:
Esther Gedye Taylor is the Wellington District Court Coordinator. You can contact Esther on 022 123 6065 or esther@wclc.org.nz
Paige Puketapu is the Porirua District Court Coordinator. You can contact Queenie on 022 479 4113 or paige@wclc.org.nz
Brooke Cootes is the Hutt Valley District Court Coordinator. You can contact Brooke on 021 190 2437 or Brooke@wclc.org.nz
Ronan Apoua-Bennitt supports the team. Ronan’s contact email is ronan@wclc.org.nz
Naomi Taylor is the Kaihautū / Manager of the team. Naomi’s contact email is naomi@wclc.org.nz
Client rights
1. We will treat you fairly, respectfully and without discrimination. We will provide a place of warmth and safety.
2. We will provide a written summary of what was said at a conference. A copy of the conference report is sent to court, police, victim advisors and the people involved.
3. We protect the confidentiality of your information. Apart from the conference report, we will only disclose confidential information you have given us when:
- You give us permission to share information.
- We believe that there is a serious risk to any person’s health or safety.
- The information relates to a crime that is likely to be committed that could result in imprisonment of three years or more.
- We are required to disclose the information for other legal reasons. This includes audits by the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Social Development.
At a conference, we also ask that you respect the privacy of others involved in the process. This means nothing may be voice or video recorded in a conference or preconference without prior agreement.
4. You can make a complaint.
If you have a complaint, please contact a Community Law Centre staff member. You can call us on 04 499 2928 or email Naomi at naomi@wclc.org.nz.
When a complaint is made, we follow these steps:
- The complaint will be given to the General Managers.
- The General Managers will acknowledge the complaint, check that you are aware of the complaints process, discuss how the complaint can be resolved, and agree on timeframes.
- The people whose actions have been complained about will be contacted. They will be asked for their interpretation of events and how they think the situation may be resolved.
- If the complaint can be resolved to your satisfaction, we will ensure that any required action is taken and that will be the end of the matter.
- If the complaint has not been resolved, we will make a recommendation to our Management Committee on how the complaint can be resolved.
- The Committee will then determine the next steps in addressing the complaint and we will inform you.
- If you are not happy with the way we have dealt with your complaint, you can complain to the Ministry of Justice by email to complaints@justice.govt.nz or in writing to the Ministry’s National Office:
National Office, Ministry of Justice SX10088
Wellington.
5. You can access your information.
Community Law holds information on every person that engages in a restorative process. This includes information such as contact details and a record of meetings. You have the right to reasonable access to this information.
Please note, if here are costs involved in giving you this information, we may charge you (for photocopying, for example).
Please write to us at restorativejustice@wclc.org.nz to request access to this information.
6. You can give us feedback. At the end of the process, you will receive a survey on how you found our services. The survey is anonymous. We also welcome feedback by email. This could be suggestions on how we can improve our service or feedback on your experience.
You can email us at: restorativejustice@wclc.org.nz.
