Innovative Responses to Sexual Offending
The report discusses innovative justice responses to sexual offending. In particular, it provides a blueprint for governments and legal systems to explore the establishment of restorative justice approaches which can better meet the needs of victims of sexual offences.
The report primarily focuses on:
- Restorative justice conferencing, where the victim and offender come together in a structured, mediated encounter to repair, to the extent possible, the harm caused by the offending
- Therapeutic justice initiatives such as specialist sex offender courts, post-sentence, problem-solving courts and pre-release courts, and circles of support and accountability
- Restorative and therapeutic approaches in the civil and crimes compensation jurisdictions.
The report is informed by national and international research, and also by key stakeholder input. The CIJ consulted with critical stakeholders, including victims’ services such as SECASA, judges from the County Court and the Court of Appeal, prosecutors, defence counsel, and a number of other services. The CIJ also consulted with Government agencies in NSW and the ACT, and Government and service providers in New Zealand. Accordingly this rigorous consultation process informs the recommendations.
