Last year I went to a talk on Restorative Justice at the Soho theatre. I’ve been thinking about it again as I’ve just found out two little areas of Norfolk, where I go often, are now ‘increasingly using Restorative Justice to resolve community issues.’
For a great Radio 2 podcast on Restorative Justice – with Jeremy Vine and Lucie Russell, Director of Smart Justice, plus guests – click here.
At the Restorative Justice meeting I went to, the infamous Brighton Bomber Pat Magee was speaking:
Magee, a former IRA terrorist who masterminded the Brighton bombing (a plot to assassinate Thatcher and members of her cabinet, which killed 5 people) met Jo Berry, the daughter of one of his victims. Magee, like most political terrorists, regarded himself as distinct from other criminals and murderers, arguing that he was seduced by political ideology and driven on by his public profile.
Magee was released in 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement
This changed when he met Jo Berry, who had initiated contact with him of her own free will. Magee told our small group that he used to dehumanise the ‘enemy’ and now realises he was thinking of humanity in “extremely reduced terms.” Jo, in making sense of her father’s death was able to forgive his actions. Incredibly they are now friends and campaign together for Restorative Justice.
Campaigners for Restorative Justice (RJ) believe that by introducing criminals to the victims of their crimes, a restorative approach can help combat this dehumanisation of victims, and not just on such a large or high profile scale. The idea is that offenders see the human effects of the harm their actions have caused, in a way not offered by traditional criminal justice. Victims too can have their needs met, and questions answered.
Clearly, it’s controversial. Barristers are understandably sceptical and, personally, I do agree there are serious issues concerning which stage of the criminal justice system it is introduced at. But, it tackles crime from a different angle and has been shown to have a good record at cutting reoffending, which surely makes it worth a look.
I wrote a feature on RJ recently and spoke to a lot of people who’d had positive, even life changing, experiences as a result of RJ. Who am I to argue with these two:
Video courtesy: Level films
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