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Sacro’s Restorative Justice Service (formerly Mediation and Reparation) provides an alternative to court prosecution. Proceedings are put on hold to establish if there is a possibility of the parties involved reaching and completing an action plan through a process of dialogue.
The Restorative Justice Service is an important addition to the criminal justice system in Scotland and an effective and robust alternative to prosecution. Participation is entirely voluntary and even once embarked upon, either party can withdraw from the process.
People harmed by crime often feel they have little involvement in the criminal justice process. Restorative Justice offers potential service users the opportunity to discuss their case with a trained facilitator in order to express their feelings and have a say in how they would like the harm caused by crime to be addressed.
Restorative Justice gives the person responsible for the harm a way to discuss the incident and hear the effect it has had on the victim/s. They have the opportunity to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions and make amends for any hurt, whether emotional, physical or financial, caused to others by their behaviour. The parties are offered the option of either a face-to-face meeting or shuttle dialogue facilitated by a Sacro worker, with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable action plan to repair the harm.
The service is aimed at victims and those responsible for minor crime.
The Procurator Fiscal will select suitable cases and make the initial referral. Sacro then offers the service as indicated. Participation is voluntary.
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