Why Restorative Justice? - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

THE VICTIM
Nevertheless they generally appreciate the offer and in the vast
majority of cases feel it is appropriate. 8
Victim Statements provided to the bench before sentencing
seemed a step in the right direction. These were designed to provide
victims with a voice in the court system. They were piloted in six
areas in the UK in 1996–7. But the research showed very mixed
results, as the statements seemed little different from victims’
original statements to the police. Victims rarely knew what use the
courts made of them, if any, and often felt confused and let down.
Courts were wary of passing sentences which depended solely on
the effect the crime had on the victim. 9
While politicians still talk about ‘getting tough’ on offenders, it
is important to note that many hundreds of victims have expressed
their willingness to meet their offenders and talk to them. Punishment
is not their goal, safety is. Despite the political rhetoric about
vicitms, their willingness to try restorative approaches is driven by
the lack of help and attention received by victims from the criminal
justice system. They see mediation as giving them a way of rebuilding
confidence and control over their lives.
The 1998 British Crime Survey showed a surprisingly high
level of interest from victims in a restorative or reparative meeting
with their offender. Forty-one per cent said they would accept
such an offer, fifty-six per cent said they would not, and three per
cent were unsure. Fifty-eight per cent were interested in reparation.
10 However, these figures concern only a hypothetical interest
in restorative justice. Victims who have actually been through the
process are even more positive (see page 30).
Mediation addresses victims’ need for:
• reassurance that the offence will not happen to them again
• an explanation as to why they were chosen – many victims
8 Crime Concern, Evaluation of the VOICES Project (Woking, Crime Concern, 1999).
9 C. Hoyle, E. Cape, R. Morgan and A. Sanders, Evaluation of the ‘One Stop Shop’ and Victim
Statement Pilot Projects (Bristol, University of Bristol, Department of Law and London, Home
Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 1998) and R. Morgan and A. Sanders,
The Uses of Victim Statements (Bristol, University of Bristol, Department of Law and London,
Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 1999).
10 J. Mattinson and C. Mirrlees-Black, ‘Attitudes to crime and criminal justice: Findings from
the 1998 British Crime Survey’. Research Findings No. 111 (London, Home Office Research,
Development and Statistics Directorate, 2000).
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