Ms Deborah Watters:

Mr. Maguire has outlined some of the work his organisation does but I will discuss some of the benefits of the work we do because that is important. One of the benefits of the intensive work we do with young people is that it is cost effective. In the Northern Ireland context - I cannot comment on the situation here but the members will know the figures - it costs approximately £80,000 a year to incarcerate a young person. To take a young person through our restorative process which examines the hurt and harm they have caused to their victims, their community and themselves and to make things right for the hurt and harm they have caused, a 12 month programme costs approximately £2,500. If we compare those figures, the recidivism rate for young people coming out of prison is 50% or 60% within the first 12 months. Our recidivism rates currently are 8% or 9%. Whether one buys into the principles of restorative justice or not one must buy into the fact that this process works, not only locally or regionally but also internationally. It is more cost effective and it keeps not only young people but adults out of a criminal justice system which further damages them because in our prisons in Northern Ireland people do not learn to do things differently; they learn more of the same.

In terms of advantages, it is cost effective, it helps to change behaviour and therefore helps to decrease the number of victims in our communities. It also helps to build a sense of community and empowers people to solve their own problems. We have a culture where people are used to things being imposed on them. They are used to solutions being handed to them and they have no ownership over them.

This reverses that tendency in that we are saying to ordinary people within communities that they can take power into their own hands and that they can be part of a peace-building project with them at the centre and in respect of which they come up with the solutions. That is why it is about transforming communities.

On behalf of Mr. Maguire and myself, I thank the members for the time they allowed us to talk about our projects. I hope we can enter productive dialogue in which we can hear the members' thoughts on these issues and share some more of our thoughts and practices. I believe that restorative practices, put at the heart not only of our criminal justice system but also our education and health care systems, comprise the way to address real social problems and issues.