The Conversational Nature of Restorative Justice Conference Processes

• In Event: Restorative Justice and Offender Management in a Global Context

Abstract

Restorative justice (RJ) processes require young offenders to effectively engage in a conversation about their wrongdoing and ways of repairing harms they have caused. As such, the RJ process draws heavily on the oral language abilities (everyday talking and listening skills) of all parties, most notably those of the young offender, who needs to listen to complex and emotionally charged accounts of the victim’s perspective on the offence, and formulate their own experiences and perspectives into a coherent narrative that is judged as adequate and authentic by the parties affected by the wrong-doing. However, one in two young offenders has a clinically significant but undiagnosed language impairment. This paper considers the impact that language impairments have on the “success” of restorative justice conference processes and how young offenders and other key stakeholders (e.g., victims) perceive outcomes.

Author

• Hennessey Hayes, Griffith University