Moving forward with restorative justice in Scotland

October 13th 2017, Norton Park Conference Centre, Edinburgh 

This important deliberative conference built on the learning from this programme of dialogues, to generate propositions for the development of RJ practice and policy in Scotland. 

Workshops addressed how criminal justice and importantly, victims of crime in Scotland would benefit from a better availability of restorative justice and how to achieve this. 
There was also an opportunity to discuss the Scottish Government’s statutory guidance on access and referral of victims to restorative justice, which was published ahead of the meeting. 

The event was attended by criminal justice social workers, Procurators Fiscal, Sheriffs, defence lawyers, police, prison officers and others who work in community justice organisations or support victims of crime, as well as those involved in policy or research regarding responses to crime

Consultants present included Ivo Aertsen (K.U. University Leuven, Belgium and author of Institutionalising Restorative Justice), Tim Chapman (chair, European Forum on Restorative Justice), Professor Joanna Shapland(University of Sheffield and convenor, Restorative Justice Forum Scotland) and Estelle Zinsstag (editor of Restorative Justice: an International Journal). This event was independently facilitated by Sarah Stocks (Director of Northern Star Associates).