Giving offenders a lifeline
9 December 2003
The department of justice and constitutional development has launched a booklet and video on restorative justice to educate the public about a programme which promotes alternatives to imprisonment and seeks to reduce prison overcrowding.
The department of correctional services launched the Restorative Justice programme in 2000 as an alternative way to promote the rehabilitation of offenders, especially young offenders.
Offenders in the programme get their sentences converted to community service, while the system also creates an opportunity for reconciliation through interaction between victims and those who wronged them.
It helps address the hurts of victims while holding the offenders accountable for the crimes they committed.
Justice and Constitutional Development Director-General Vusi Pikoli said the department is committed to restoring the dignity of victims through the processes of the law.
"Some young offenders have
a brighter future ahead of them, so we need to advise and help them to denounce their criminal activities", Pikoli said.
"Magistrates and prosecutors have been briefed about the programme and they have already started implementing it in courts," he added.
Restorative justice allows for alternative sentences for young offenders. Such discretion, however, depends on the nature of the crime committed.
Restorative justice also makes it possible, through counseling, for victims of crime to heal the wounds inflicted by criminals, who also get a chance to apologise for their actions.
Source: BuaNews
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