When a referral has been assessed as suitable for restorative justice and all the participants have been prepared by the convenor, they then begin to exchange information with the convenor’s help. This exchange of information is called a conference. Conferences can happen either face-to-face or indirectly (such as third party mediation, taped recordings or letter exchanges).
The conference process brings into contact those people who have been affected by an offence. This includes the victim, their family and friends and the offender and their family and friends. Other people, including police informants, witnesses, community representatives and case workers, may also be invited by the convenor to participate in a conference.
Participants, in consultation with the convenor, decide what type of RJ conference will be best for them - face-to-face or indirect. Whichever method is decided upon, the conference follows a set format. Specific questions are asked by the convenor and everyone gets the chance to answer these questions.
In face-to-face conferences, participants meet at a time and location agreeable to them. The most common locations include the Restorative Justice Unit, a school, a community centre or at the victim's place of work (such as a shop). Conferences usually take about one or two hours and participants sit in a circle to share information.
Indirect conferences can be held in a variety of ways including taped recorded interviews, telephone conferencing, email/letter exchanges or via the convenor who communicates information between people.
In both face-to-face and indirect conferencing, specific questions are asked by the convenor and everyone gets the chance to answer these questions.
It’s a three-stage process:
1. What happened?
The offender is asked to talk about what led up to the offence, what happened during and after the offence.
They will also be asked to talk about who they think has been affected by what happened and how they think those people have been affected.
2. How were people affected?
The victim is asked to talk about the offence and how they, and others close to them, have been affected by it.
The victim's supporters and offender's supporters will also get a chance to talk about how they have been affected by the offence.
This process allows the offender to hear about the impact of their actions. They may find out some things about the offence that they didn’t know.
3. What needs to be done to make things better?
The convenor invites everyone to talk about what they think needs to happen to make things better. The discussion focuses on specific activities or commitments the offender can make to the victim and other participants.
The specific activities and commitments that come out of this discussion form an agreement between the offender and the victim.