Restorative justice and offenders' respect for the law

Canberra's police may have found a way to increase offenders' respect for the law, which could prove to be an important step towards making them obey it. Preliminary results from Australian National University (ANU) interviews of 548 offenders in the ACT show noticeable improvements from an innovative police method for dealing with drink drivers and young property and violent offenders. Comparing offenders prosecuted in court to those handled by the new method shows that this innovation may work better because it is perceived as firm but fair. And that perception, as a growing body of research suggests, may increase their compliance with the law in the future. Canberra's police may have found a way to increase offenders' respect for the law, which could prove to be an important step towards making them obey it. Preliminary results from Australian National University (ANU) interviews of 548 offenders in the ACT show noticeable improvements from an innovative police method for dealing with drink drivers and young property and violent offenders. Comparing offenders prosecuted in court to those handled by the new method shows that this innovation may work better because it is perceived as firm but fair. And that perception, as a growing body of research suggests, may increase their compliance with the law in the future. Instead of prosecuting a case in court, the police convene a conference attended by the people most affected by the crime: the victim, the offender, and their families and friends. The conference provides much more time than court proceedings for discussing the offence and the harm it has caused. Conferencing also places greater emphasis than court on finding ways for the offender to repair the harm, in order to achieve the aims of restorative justice and not just retribution. Unlike court, conferences always require active involvement and expression of views by all participants, including the offender. This involvement is carefully guided by a trained police officer, who keeps the discussion focused on obtaining a signed agreement between the offender and the other conference participants which sets out how the offender will make up for the harm - both to the victim and the community - that he or she has caused.