How Safe is it to Test Restorative Justice for Serious Crimes?
Previous research indicates no increased danger to victims or offenders from using RJ for serious crimes. Overall, victims clearly preferred RJ in the Australian field tests, and offenders reported higher levels of respect for the law if they were given the opportunity to participate in an RJ conference. None of the field tests in the US or Australia have shown any increases in violent crime with RJ conferences. In addition, every case in the UK tests will be screened by criminal justice officials for the likelihood of any conflict arising in the course of a conference. No such conflict has occurred in over 600 conferences tracked to date.
