Burglary Case

Burglary Case (Post sentence referral, offender in custody)

Victim initiated referral after receiving information about Restorative Justice from victim bureau staff when given court result. Victim was still upset and angry about the offence and had some personal items stolen that were of no monetary value but huge sentimental value. Victim was distressed that her dog had been in the house and wanted to know why their house had been targeted.  

The offender was in prison, prolific offender with substantial history of offending who was initially was reluctant to engage but after spending some time with Restorative Justice facilitators in prison admitted he felt guilty about his actions and wanted to help repair the harm. He immediately offered to help locate some of the stolen property he had hidden and not sold. 

This information was passed to the victim and she located the personal items she was so upset to lose. The offender did agree to a face-to-face meeting but then was moved to a prison some distance away and the victim did not want to travel. 

He did agree to answer their questions by way of shuttle via facilitators. He was open and honest about why that house and why he offends. The victim found his answers helped her move forward and wanted him to know that she appreciated getting her items back. She hoped this process would help to sort his issues and not reoffend this time on release. 

When surveyed she was very positive in all responses and was happy to share this quote ‘It was great that there was an opportunity to do it. It was very helpful, and I would not hesitate to recommend Restorative Justice.’
 
The probation officer has made recent contact to say that the offender still talks about the process and it has really helped his self-esteem. He has had a couple of blips but is doing much better this time and has much more determination to change his behaviours.