The exclusion of serious and organised offenders and their victims from the offer of restorative justice: Should this be so and what happens when the offer is put on the table?

D'Souza, Nikki and Shapland, Joanna (2023) The exclusion of serious and organised offenders and their victims from the offer of restorative justice: Should this be so and what happens when the offer is put on the table? Criminology & Criminal Justice, 23 (1). pp. 60-77. ISSN 1748-8958

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958211021703

Abstract

There is scarce research evidence of restorative justice being used in the context of serious and organised crime offending. This study sought to explore the feasibility of using restorative justice by canvassing the views of experts, serious and organised crime offenders and serious and organised crime victims in England. Offenders and victims were given the opportunity to engage in a restorative justice initiative and individual cases were pursued accordingly as a series of case studies. Case studies were limited to large-scale serious and organised fraud. Stark differences in views were apparent between serious and organised crime experts and restorative justice experts, the former doubting offenders’ motivations and pointing to their dangerousness without fully considering victim perspectives. Despite high attrition rates among some offenders expressing an initial willingness to pursue restorative justice, where both parties wished to participate, sustained motivation was observed. This study highlights inequities in the way that police forces have implemented the 2015 Victims Code requirements for restorative justice in England and Wales, potentially blocking opportunities for closure, social integration and reduced reoffending.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by Durham Constabulary, the University of Sheffield, the Home Office and the College of Policing.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Local policing, restorative justice, serious and organised crime, victims, victims code
Subjects: L400 Social Policy
M900 Other in Law
N200 Management studies
Department: Faculties > Business and Law > Newcastle Business School
Depositing User: Elena Carlaw
Date Deposited: 02 Dec 2021 12:23
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2023 14:15
URI: https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/47879

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