Restorative Justice (RJ) is a way for the people most affected by a crime - the victim, their family and friends and the offender and their family and friends to talk about:

• What happened?
• How were people affected?
• What needs to be done to make things better?

The ACT Restorative Justice Unit’s (RJU) primary objective is to provide restorative justice to members of the ACT community who have been affected by an offence in a forum that provides:

• victims with an opportunity to talk about how the offence has affected them and others close to them;
• offenders with an opportunity to accept responsibility for their actions;
• victims, offenders and supporters an opportunity to discuss the harm and what needs to be done to repair that harm; and
• offenders with an opportunity to repair the harm done by the offence.

The RJU operates according to the Crimes (Restorative Justice) Act 2004 and has been in operation since 31st January 2005.  Part of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACS), restorative justice at this time, is only open to young offenders and their victims.