NCJ Number
172621
Date Published
1996
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This overview of the principles of restorative justice implemented in the probation policies of England and Wales focuses on probation policies pertinent to crime victims and offender accountability.
Abstract
In the 1980s mediation and reparation schemes were developed by probation services, although the expertise gained from these projects has been largely lost because of discontinued funding. Recent national probation standards require probation officers to assess the impact of crime on victims by using presentence reports, including an assessment of the offender's attitude and awareness of the consequences of the offense. The recent Home Office Victims Charter takes probation into a new arena by requiring that officers notify victims of parole consideration for any prisoner who is serving a life sentence. Reparative principles can be built into presentence recommendations in the form of compensation to individual victims or unpaid work for the benefit of the wider community. Probation must seek every opportunity to amplify the victim's perspective by seizing occasions to implant restorative justice as a central feature of the supervisory process, as well as touting the significance of this reconciling process to policymakers, local communities, and other parties in the criminal justice system. 14 references