Restorative Stories

17 July 2024 | Claire Fenwicke

'The option for victim-survivors of sexual violence to seek civil justice is being considered as part of new research in the restorative justice space.

Additional funding to the tune of $630,000 over two years has been allocated from the Confiscated Assets Trust (CAT) and the 2024-25 ACT Budget as part of measures to increase access to restorative justice processes in the ACT.

Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said there had been an...Read more

The process is coordinated by a ‘convenor’ or a pair of convenors for complex and serious matters, who prepares for RJ and helps everyone talk to one another.

Three stages are involved:

(a) What happened? The offender talks about what, how and why they did what they did and how they think others were affected.

(b) How were people affected? Starting with the victim, the convenor asks everyone what they thought and felt when the offence happened and the impact on them...Read more

I dropped out of high school and got into a bad situation with a bunch of guys from my suburb. One day we broke into a house and stole a heap of stuff. Then we took off with the car and ended up writing it off.

After we got busted, the police said I could do RJ or go to court. Meeting the people I hurt – Chris and Leigh, was really nerve-wracking because I knew I had done a terrible thing to them. But I also knew it was the right thing to do and it was better than going...Read more

This Echidna Story comes from a training I ran in Alice Springs some years ago. It is a powerful example of what matters ‘restorative speaking’ - Terry O'Connell

I recently attended the restorative practice training as part of my role as a manager involved with young offenders/youth at risk of offending and their families. My intention was to build skills and facilitate good outcomes in service delivery however the training touched my personal life in ways I was not prepared for....Read more

After many decades of working as a school psychologist in schools across Western Australia, I have said goodbye, or “Enough is enough!” It was time to pass the baton on to the younger and perhaps more enthusiastic psychologists.

This leaves me time for my restorative work and for other interests. My restorative work includes visiting schools that have contacted me to do training with their staff. This year I have been to 6 different schools, government and non-government, and also...Read more

I first was introduced to the concept of conferencing in workplaces in 1999 but it was in 2001 when I was invited to participate in one. Eighteen months after a workplace restructure, we were still living with conflict amongst a senior group of executives and tension existed with their staff. A series of intake interviews with all direct and subordinate staff was crucial in preparing us for the group conference. It was essential to get the right people in the room, not just those impacted...Read more

Sarah arrived at restorative practices through her own experiences of interpersonal violence and wanting a way of responding that attends to the healing of multiple dimensions of harm and hurt within and between individuals and in the social fabric that connects us.

Sarah has worked as a counsellor with people who have experienced interpersonal violence and delivers training in responding to complex trauma in ways that restore an individual's safety and agency.

Sarah...Read more

Terry O’Connell first introduced me to Restorative Justice in 1989. It immediately resonated with me because it reaffirmed everything I knew was effective in my role as a Detective working with victims, witnesses and offenders.

It reaffirmed the importance of people being able to tell their story, more than just what happened but how it impacted on them. I had learned from some wonderful mentors the importance of being able to relate to people and treating everyone, including...Read more

In 2009 I commenced working for a community owned aged care facility. Residents had no choice as to how they lived their daily lives and were required to fit into strict routines dictated by staff practices and timetabled duty lists.

I quickly observed and envisioned a home that placed value on the emotional and spiritual well-being of residents. Some examples of pre restorative facility included, set schedules for personal care, specific mealtimes and the absence of ageing in place...Read more

Greetings from the Sunshine Coast in sunny Queensland.

When I think about my journey in the restorative justice world, I’m always reminded that when I stumbled into the landscape, everything I had done professionally before seemed like preparation for the Big One! My work in the education, first as a biology teacher, then a school counsellor had taken me into conflict resolution territory, to Critical Incident Response systems and into whole of school systems – particularly in...Read more

John Braithwaite works on restorative justice in peacemaking.

This includes practical work on peace negotiations and reconciliation after armed conflict. And it includes research: http://johnbraithwaite.com/peacebuilding/

John also works on restorative justice in business regulation (for example, currently with Miranda Forsyth and others on restorative environmental justice at EPA Victoria) and on crime. You can read...Read more