Offenders to face victims

[andrewducker]

This is a fantastic idea (in certain circumstances). It should help both victims and perpetrators to move on.

People who commit crimes could avoid prosecution if they agree to face-to-face meetings with their victims and see the impact of their offences, it has been suggested.

Both victims and offenders would have to consent to taking part in the scheme with the perpetrator admitting to the offence.

Restorative justice has so far been confined largely to young offenders but will be stepped up to include more adult offenders, school bullies and anti-social hooligans.

Mr Blunkett said: "Restorative justice means victims can get an apology from their offender, but it is about more than 'saying sorry' - it provides the victim with an explanation of why the crime was committed.

"This is something a prison sentence on its own can never do and can enable victims to move on and carry on with their lives.

"It also means that for the first time offenders will be personally held to account for the crimes they have committed."

Comments

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

But there are plenty of opportunities to compare situations where people have been given community service orders or whatever and people who've been sent to prison for comparable crimes

This would compare the liklihood of criminals committing a crime again. I am talking about deterring people from committing crimes in the first place. Like, I might really, really want to punch out that guy insulting me in the bar, but the liklihood of getting caught and thrown in prison, and the attendant negative associations thrown on me (including making it harder to find a job in the future, etc.) is just too high to be worth it.

Sure, some people will cave in and just punch the guy, but many others will resist because of the deterrence of going to prison.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

Cross-society comparisons? I know they're poorly controlled, but punishment regimes are sufficiently different between moderately comparable countries to make it worth at least a casual look.

Also, I suppose, comparing "those who do" with "those who don't" and asking what the factors in the decision were, and controlling for known risk factors (gender, income etc.).