|
|
|
| December 17, 2003 | Wednesday | Shawwal 22, 1424 |
Governor supports restorative justice system
PESHAWAR, Dec 16: The concept of “restorative justice” system is not alien to the province’s society as it is closely identified with the traditional jirga system and supports other grassroots level institutions, says NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah.
He termed in vital to explore links between the prevailing traditional system and the “restorative justice”, adding any initiatives taken in this regard would definitely support the judicial system indirectly.
He said this while inaugurating a one-day seminar on “restorative justice” system.
Speakers on the occasion stressed the need for creating public awareness about “restorative justice” to establish a crime-free society.
“Restorative justice means a process where all the stakeholders affected by a crime have an opportunity to come together to discuss the consequences of the crime and what should be done to correct the wrong,” said Dr John Bradford Braithwaite, Professor Law Programme, Australian University, Canberra, while addressing a four-day international seminar on restorative justice here on Tuesday.
In the restorative justice system, both the offender and aggrieved parties are asked to bring the people whom they trust the most. The offender, first describes the situation that led to the commission of the crime.
Then, he said, victims and others sit in a circle, discuss the consequences of the crime and how they had been harmed, which is followed by an agreement inked with a view to correct the wrong. The agreement is usually signed by the victim and the offender, said Dr John.
According to him, a great deal of innovation was taking shape around the world these days, which had been of significant importance so far as the reduction in crimes was concerned.
An encouraging study, he added, was a meta-analysis of 34 evaluations of restorative justice programmes by the Canadian Department of Justice. It found significantly lower re-offending in the restorative justice cases in contrast to controlled groups, greater satisfaction of victims and offenders with the justice received among the restorative justice group and a higher level of completion of agreements or orders in the restorative justice group.
He said that reduction in re-offending was just one objective of restorative justice, because it also improved dispensation of justice.
Dr John, said that what distinguishes restorative justice from retributive justice is that it is as concerned with justice for victims as it is for justice for offenders. Again, he said the evidence is that the victims, like offenders, are more likely to feel that they are treated fairly, to feel that their rights are respected following restorative justice than they feel after a regular court case.
Director of the FIA, NWFP, Malik Naveed Khan, said that over the past two decades, voices of the dissatisfied victims had increasingly been heard, expressing shortcomings of the traditional criminal justice system.
He said that victims wanted a less formal process, enabling them to participate besides making their views heard.
|
|
|
|
