Page updated on: Friday April 23, 2010
Restorative justice is a process that aims to put things right for the people who have been victims of offences. In New Zealand, the main way it does this is through a meeting between the victim and offender called a restorative justice conference.
Court-referred restorative justice conferences have been trialled in New Zealand recently for certain criminal offences. At a conference victims can have a say and focus on their needs and offenders have the chance to talk about what they have done and take responsibility for putting things right. Conferences are safe and private and run by trained facilitators. Victims and offenders are encouraged to have support people with them. The conference is voluntary and only takes place if the victim and the offender both agree to participate.