Case Studies

Examples of Restorative Justice in practice.

Remedi (2009) Case Study Burglary Direct Meeting. An example of some of the difficulties faced by restorative practice providers and the rewards of persistence.

40 Cases Restorative Justice and Victim-Offender Mediation. Published by the former Mediation UK this publication is now freely available online. This collection of case studies provides authentic practitioner accounts of a restorative approach being used successfully at all stages of the criminal process and with a very wide range of offences.

Case studies (2004-2006)

Case Study 1: In this case study, the living quarters for students of a grammar school was broken into. After reviewing the security cameras, the group of boys were identified. A restorative conference took place between the students of the school and those who had committed the offence as well as supporters. Besides the resulting final contract and letter of apology, the conference also helped to create a more cohesive community.

Case Study 2: A woman's car was damaged on 12 separate occassions. On the 12th time, it was written off and three offenders were identified. A conference took place between the woman and one of the offenders who was supported by his parents. An apology was given during the conference and the victim had a chance to have her questions answered. The offender who attended the conference was determined to not re-offend. The victim went on to train as a restorative justice facilitator.

Case Study 3: A youth worker was shocked when she was verbally abused about her lesbian sexuality by schoolchildren on a bus. A conference is being organised between the youth worker and the young people as the youth worker had been disappointed with the conventional justice system and wanted to educate the young people face-to-face. In this case study, information is given on a local centre for restorative justice as well.

Case Study 4: Two young boys were caught after stoning buses. The actions had lead to an elderly woman with a heart condition being hospitalized because of the trauma she had suffered. When the restorative conference took place, it was attended by British Transport Police, the bus company, the bus driver, the daughter of the old woman with the heart condition and others. The conference had a profound effect on the two boys, and the elderly woman’s daughter said that her mother would have been sad to see how upset the lads were, and happy to hear of the promises they had made to repair the situation. The agreement was that the lads would go to the bus company every Saturday for six months to clean the buses.

Case Study 5: A 15-year-old schoolboy took a drug overdose because he was so depressed and intimidated by bullying he was suffering at school. He had been bullied by two brothers in the year above him over several months. They had been hitting him, ripping his uniform, calling him names, spitting at him and threatening violence. The conference gave a voice to everyone involved, and both Martin’s story and that of his family had a huge impact on the bullies and their family. The bullies showed true remorse, crying when they realised the harm they had caused. At the end of the conference, an agreement was drawn up. They boys all agreed to look out for each other, and staff arranged to support all the boys.

6 Case Studies in Brief: There are six case studies briefly described here. The studies are on hoax calls, firearms in school, happy slapping, sexual assault, serious assault, and theft.