Expanding Restorative Justice: Earlier is better but it's never too late

The ACT Courts and Tribunal invites you to attend a conversation on restorative justice between Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker of the ACT Magistrates Court, and Pamela Williams, former Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia.

Currently in Australia, referral to restorative justice is only available when an offender accepts criminal liability. This limits the availability of restorative processes, when a broader application has real potential to do good.

What are the advantages of expanding the availability of restorative justice referrals to cases where a person is found not guilty of a criminal charge, but has engaged in conduct which has clearly caused harm to a victim?

What improvements might be achieved if, at the onset, community partners (including police, health, crown, harmers and harmed) are provided the option to avoid the criminal justice adversarial system altogether? Is it possible to transform our way of thinking about justice and offer a clear path to avoid the court system altogether?

Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker of the ACT Magistrates Court was sworn in as a Magistrate in July 2010 and as Chief Magistrate on 13 October 2011. In August 2019, she was appointed an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court for 12 months to establish the Territory's Drug and Alcohol Court.

Pamela Williams is a Judge, and former Chief Judge, of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia. Since 2010, she has been the dedicated judge for the Dartmouth Wellness Court, a problem-solving court where a team of professionals helps treat the issues contributing to the individual coming into conflict with the law.

The discussion will take place from 4:45pm - 5:45pm in Supreme Court 3 followed by light refreshments.

Host or Publisher ACT Courts and Tribunal