Ms Nadette Foley:

From other jurisdictions we have seen videos of restorative processes, particularly where there is direct or indirect communication between a victim and offender. My colleague referred to this, and if reparation is envisaged - possibly involving community service or another activity - a victim can relay his or her wish for the type of action involved. The party may be involved in or support a project and wish the offender to contribute directly to it through time or money. The opposite may be the case, and a victim may have safety concerns and not want to walk down a street where there is a possibility of the offender painting the wall of a local youth project, for example. The victim may prefer the community service to be done in a different location.

That is why we say there should be possibilities. We do not want to impose restrictions. The beauty of restorative work is that the creativity of both the offender and the victim can come into play and that they can come up with ideas none of us would even dream of. They are the kind of things we have heard from other jurisdictions.