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Repairing
harm caused by offending by bringing those
affected
by crime together in
a group conference
Contact Community Justice Group Conferencing
About Group Conferencing
Who is it for?
Why hold a Group Conference?
Who comes to a Group Conference?
How long will a Group Conference take?
What happens in a Group Conference?
What happens after a Group Conference?
Contact Us
Community Justice
(PO BOX 284)
10 Dawson Street
Brunswick VIC 3056
Tel: (03) 9387 7871
Fax: (03) 9387 1178
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About Group Conferencing
Community Justice is a Group Conferencing Program based on restorative justice principles.
The aim is to bring together the young person who has offended, the family, community
members and the victim of the crime to discuss ways for the young person to make amends for the harm done by the current offending behaviour.
The program provides the Children's Court with an alternative pre-sentencing option that
aims to divert young people from further or more serious offending. It operates across the Melbourne and Metropolitan Children's Courts.
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Who is it for?
Young people aged between 10 to 17 years who have:
- Pleaded guilty or have been found guilty of offence(s) that do not include homicide, manslaughter, sex offences and generally do not include serious offences of violence; and
- Appeared in court on a previous occasion and have committed offence(s) serious
enough to warrant a supervisory order (primarily a probation order) to be considered by the court; or
- Have committed offence(s) serious enough to warrant a supervisory order on their first
appearance; and
- Have been referred to the group conference program within nine months of the offence(s) occurring or under exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the court;
and
- Consented to participate; and
- Been assessed as suitable by a Department of Human Services Juvenile Justice Officer.
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Why hold a Group Conference?
To encourage young people to take responsibility for their offending behaviour
- To enhance the rights of victims
- To provide the young person with an opportunity to make amends to the victim and community
- To provide a voice for everyone who is involved and affected by an offence
- To strengthen support relationships for the young person and help prevent further
offending
- To involve those most interested and affected by the offending in the decision making
process and enhance their satisfaction with the criminal justice process
- To provide culturally appropriate intervention
- To develop an outcome plan that supports all of these objectives and aims.
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Who comes to a Group Conference?
The young person
- Family and/or supports of the young person
- The victim or his/her representative
- Family and/or supports of the victim
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How long will a Group Conference take?
The Group Conference process can take up to 6-8 weeks to complete
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The Convener will make contact with everyone involved to prepare for the group conference
- Conferences normally take about 2 hours
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What happens in a Group Conference?
A Group Conference provides a safe environment for all people affected by an offence to come together and:
- Discuss how they were affected
- Decide how to make things better.
The young person is provided with an opportunity to apologise. Participants are asked what they would like to see happen to repair some of the harm and to prevent further offending by the young person. There is a short break in which the young person, family and/or their supports may have private time to prepare a proposed plan. All participants negotiate on a fair and practical plan.
The plan spells out what should happen after the group conference to make amends for some of the harm to the victim and to prevent further offending. Before finishing, the young person meets privately with his/her lawyer to ensure he/she understands and voluntarily agrees to the plan.
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What happens after a Group Conference?
- The young person returns to court. A court report on the group conference is provided to the Magistrate for consideration prior to sentencing
- If the court accepts the outcomes, a key person nominated by the group conference
supervises the implementation of the plan.
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