Restorative Justice National Pilot

In 2002 HMA was involved in designing the training programmes, assessment materials and training materials for the Restorative Justice National Pilot. The pilot was run in four sites (Auckland Central, West Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin) as a model of how restorative justice could operate as part of the pre-sentencing during the court process.

We were involved in designing four parts of the project:

1. A three day training workshop
2. Pre-training selection and during training assessment materials for potential restorative justice facilitators
3. Training resource materials
4. Video scripting for the development of a training DVD – this occurred post pilot training.

A number of clear outcomes were established which included the ability of facilitators to be able to:

• Describe a clear understanding of the philosophy of restorative justice
• Articulate a clear understanding of tikanga Maori
• Engage with victims and offenders
• Describe the processes of restorative justice
• Facilitate a restorative justice conference
• Write a report for the Court

As with all HMA training design a number of learning processes we used to ensure best uptake of material delivered. These included:

• Self-paced workbooks
• Presentation of ideas
• Discussion of ideas
• Demonstration and modelling of processes
• Experiential learning – you are practicing the skills
• Ongoing reflection
• Peer and coach feedback