Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice:

• Allows the victim(s) to tell offender(s) the impact their crime or behaviour has had on them
• Gives offenders the chance to understand the impact crime has had on their victims
• Provides a way for the victim to have a say in how the offender repairs the harm done
• Provides a way for offenders to make amends.

A Community Resolution is a way of resolving offences such as low-level public order, criminal damage, theft, and minor assaults. Typically, a Community Resolution might take the form of an apology and enables relatively minor offences to be resolved much faster than requiring a suspect to attend court.

A Community Resolution is one of more than 20 ways ('outcomes') a police investigation is resolved. All outcomes are equally valid. Some of the other well-known outcomes include:

• A suspect has been charged
• A suspect has been cautioned
• A suspect has received a Penalty Notice for Disorder
• The suspect has died
• Prosecution is not in the public interest
• No suspect has been identified.

Restorative Justice is not the same as a Community Resolution.

Restorative Justice is not an outcome and it does not replace the police investigation and the criminal justice process. Restorative Justice is facilitated in addition to whatever outcome the police investigation will reach.