forensics: restorative justice ao3

Question 1

Research support for RJ

Answer 1

A recent study into the effectiveness of restorative justice provided some promising results.
Sherman and Strong compared 36 studies of RJ with conventional justice, such as prison.
Researchers found reductions in reoffending rates for violent and property crimes.
This could be due to the fact that the offenders will have come face to face with their victims and would have been confronted, first hand, with the consequences of their crime. Alternatively it is possible that the offenders would have had to put any damage they caused right, which could also deter them from committing the crime again.
For the victims, incidences of PTSD were also reduced. This could be down to being given the opportunity of confronting the offender and being able to voice feelings and thoughts associated with the event that they may otherwise avoid.
Overall the research shows that RJ can yield positive outcomes for all parties involved and should be considered as a viable option, both as an alternative to, but also alongside conventional justice.

Question 2

may not be effective

Answer 2

• reliance on offender showing remorse for their actions
• some offenders may only sign up for chance at reduced sentence
  -victim themselves may have ulterior motives like revenge
• doesnt alig w key concept of positive chance and encouraging acceptance
• thus rj may not lead to the positive outcomes intended

Question 3

rj doesnt recieve public support

Answer 3

• seen as a soft option
• whilst it may reduce recidivism rates and is cheaper than running overcrowded prisons there isnt public support
• so viewed as soft option echoed by politicians keen to convince voters their tough on crime
• poltical will to use effectivness of rj prog may not always be there

Question 4

not supported by feminsist

Answer 4

feminsists critque it and a charity called womens aid called for a legislative ban on domestic abuse cases
- they are concerned about the power imbalance and that the wider community instead of being supportive may blame the victim
- thus questioning the suitability of these programmes for diff kinds of offenses