31 May 2004
New guidelines should see (restorative) justice done

Green MP Nandor Tanczos says guidelines launched today by the Government should help make restorative justice work for victims and offenders.

Justice Minister Phil Goff has released Restorative Justice in New Zealand: Best Practice, which sets out the basic standards when the approach is applied in the criminal justice system.

"The Green Party has been supportive of restorative justice since before the 1999 election, so we welcome these best practice guidelines both for their own inherent value and as an another step to making this approach more widely available," said Nandor.

"When applied properly, restorative justice is an incredibly powerful tool that increases victims' satisfaction with outcomes and promotes remorse in, and rehabilitation of, offenders. When applied poorly it can have the exact opposite effect.

"The Corrections, Sentencing and Parole Acts all have provisions for restorative justice, so it is essential we follow up that commitment by ensuring restorative justice is applied successfully," said Nandor.

ENDS

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