Offenders Aid & Rehabilitation Services of SA Inc
Patron : His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia
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Offenders Aid & Rehabilitation Services of SA Inc
Patron : His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia |
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Watch this space for exciting new developments in Restorative Justice (RJ) in SA and internationally. The Centre for Restorative website is currently under construction and will be launched in the new year. In the meantime some basic RJ information appears below. 1. About the Centre for Restorative Justice The Centre for Restorative Justice (CRJ) is an exciting new development on the justice scene in South Australia. The Centre is a Division of OARS SA, a well known and respected justice organisation, with a heritage of 113 years of work amongst offenders, their families and children in this State. Over the last 15 years OARS SA has become increasingly interested in victims rights and the potential for healing and restoration between victims and offenders. The Centre for RJ is a venture with key collaborators from the victims movement with beliefs and ideals that hope to bring a balanced approach with respect to the rights and needs of victims. A foundation strategic partner is Victim Support Services. The Centre has been in operation since 1997 as a centre of excellence in Restorative Justice Research and Development and during that time many justice professionals and community members have benefited from the excellent forums and consequent discussion that has eventuated. The Centre for Restorative Justice has a primary focus in the following four areas. · Action research and information dissemination on restorative approaches to justice. · Innovative program development and implementation using restorative approaches to justice. · Training and professional development programs for · justice officials and administrators · police and correctional services · educational policy makers and teachers · for businesses wanting to provide a different framework for employee relations and conflict resolution in their organisations. · Accreditation, evaluation and audit services from a restorative perspective. The CRJ began in 1997 and derived from significant community feeling at the time that different approaches to justice were needed to ensure that the current system did not continue to generate damage and harm. This feeling focussed significantly on the issues facing victims of crime and the poor treatment of victims by the criminal justice system. The Centre is even more firmly of the view that a strong voice for reform be heard in this arena currently. The CRJ will be advised by an expert Advisory Board comprising key people in criminal justice management from the Judicial, Government, and non-government sectors in SA. This Board is currently being formed. The Centre is intimately linked to OARS SA, its parent body, and a key protagonist in the development of Restorative Justice services and concepts in South Australia. The Centre believes that it is critical for the community to become more involved in justice issues. The Justice system, in spite of its best efforts is still too remote, and people tend to feel alienated from it. This is particularly poignant for victims of crime. The Centre for Restorative Justice is hoping to attract a wide range of members and provide a forum for further discussion and dialogue. Join the Centre and assist in the development of this new and innovative policy paradigm. 2. What is Restorative Justice? Restorative Justice is a different approach to the management of crime and justice. RJ has a primary focus on people, and the damage that is caused to relationships as a result of crime. It further pays attention to healing the damage in a range of` ways, not all of which are focussed on punishment. A foundation principle is that of RJ balancing the needs of the community, victims and offenders after an offence has occurred. RJ recognises the vital role of conciliation and mediation as important processes in healing the damage to the community, victims and offenders after crime. RJ also places the healing into a context that is both punitive where necessary, and reparative where possible. RJ principles require offenders to be accountable for their crimes, just as the current system does, but it requires even more accountability by personalising the situation, the problem and the solution. Over time, the law seems to have alienated people and become a depersonalised system, particularly for victims of crime. The community seems to have said that crime is a problem for police and the courts to solve, but in so saying, it seems to absolve itself from any power to address its own problems. The dilemma presented by the incessant increase in crime in western society might be more easily managed by collaborative approaches based on a system that embraces the humanity of all involved and the need to reconcile at a very fundamental level. 3. Centre For Restorative Justice Annual Report
The Centre for Restorative Justice (CRJ) is a division of OARS SA and was
formed in 1997. It is guided by an Advisory Committee chaired by the
Honorable Ted Mulligan, and also has specialized sub committees covering
more specific arenas, such as education.
The Centre for Restorative Justice offers training & professional
development programs for:
Restorative Conferencing facilitation for:
The Centre’s other focus areas include action research and information
dissemination on restorative justice approaches to justice and innovative
program development and implementation using restorative approaches to
justice.
In the first half of the year, we were thrilled to be able to conduct the
first Australian Adult ‘Post Conviction/Pre Sentence’ Restorative Conference
at District Court level. This case involved a case of Causing Death by
Dangerous Driving and in sentencing Judge Clayton awarded ample regard to
the wishes of the family of the deceased victim and the agreed outcomes from
the conference.
Also this year, we have conducted the first Restorative
Intervention for SAPOL as a deterrent to prosecution in a case of domestic
violence.
Whilst this case was not a major case in this area, all
parties felt that they were able to move forward in a positive way following the
intervention, despite their continued desire to end the relationship.
Training in schools has continued to grow and develop.
An increased number of training sessions are already
booked for the forthcoming year.
This year has also seen an increase in the number of non-education based
personnel seeking training including Lawyers, Victims Advocates and Police
Officers, including officers training as Victim Liaison Officers. Training has
also been provided for teachers whilst still studying at University prior to
them commencing work within schools.
Good Practice Forums have started for educators, with schools presenting their
own Restorative journeys. These are to be held each term, with 2 presentations
at each forum. They will be available for purchase on DVD thereafter. These
forums have proved very successful in allowing access to implementation guidance
for schools, with oversubscription to each Forum held to date.
Online forums through CENTRA are continuing and are particularly advantageous
for regional school personnel.
A further training module is to be compiled around implementation and this will
be a collaborative production between CRJ and a DECS employee who has worked
closely with the Centre for many years.
The Centre has been heavily involved in the formation of an International
Association for Restorative Practitioners (RPI), which will be launched at their
Inaugural Conference in October 2007 in
The Centre looks forward to 2007/2008 with optimism, and looks forward to
providing Restorative Services and training to an increasingly high standard in
a growing number of arenas.
Highlights
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Last Updated : Friday, 08 August 2008 Send mail to
webmaster@oars.org.au with questions or comments about this web site.
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