Who is the Restorative Justice Centre all about?

Restorative justice is a growing international movement. Instead of focusing exclusively on punishment it suggest that justice is about making things right: addressing the needs of these who have been harmed and taking steps to prevent the incident from happening again. It provides the basis for engaging with victims and their needs, for engaging with offenders and for connecting with broader crime prevention strategies. It stresses the need for direct participants and the community to be involved in working out a response to individual incidents and to crime generally. By its very nature, it nurtures hope. Research done with participants from these processes indicates that victims feel safer and that offenders are less likely to re-offend.

The Restorative Justice Centre (RJC) provides services to victims and offenders based on this approach. Its services reached over 2700 people last year.

What do we stand for?

• A groundbreaking and effective way of responding to crime 
• Helping to transform our criminal justice system
• Restoring the damage caused by crime
• Preventing further offending

Vision
We see a society in which communities value peacebuilding and the constructive resolution of conflict, and where people care about one another, fostering individual and social well-being.

Mission
The RJC promotes peacebuilding through restorative justice and conflict transformation processes.
We partner with
• communities,
• other organizations and
• the criminal justice system
to develop principled responses to crime, conflict and victimisation. These responses address the needs and harms of victims and encourage offenders to accept responsibility by making things right and changing behaviour. We strive for an empowering organizational environment in which staff and volunteers can flourish and fulfil their purpose.

What is Restorative Justice?

Restorative Justice views crime primarily as the violation of one individual by another. It helps offenders to accept responsibility and accountability and to restore the damage caused to victims and their communities. At the same time, victims are offered insight into the offender’s situation and assisted in the healing process. In order to prevent re-offending, Restorative Justice also addresses the causes of the crime incident, both in the community context and in the personal context.

Restorative Justice is practised alongside the formal criminal justice system.

How can you respond to crime constructively!

As is being shown in a number of recent initiatives, if South Africans could all take hands and stand against crime, it can be beaten. Now is the time to support initiatives that counter crime. RJC is one of these initiatives.

RJC reached over 2700 people during the previous financial year. In order to continue the work that they have such a passion for they need assistance. Currently we receive 50% of all our funding from the Department of Social Development.

To give you an idea of what it costs us to offer the services that we do our unit costs are as follows:

• to facilitate one victim offender conference: R3000
• to assess a child in trouble with the law: R1500
• for a child and his /her parents to participate in a life skills course: R1800
• to assist a child victim to testify in court: R800
• to compile a pre-sentence report advising court about a sentence: R 2030

We are a public benefit organisation, so your contributions are tax-deductible. Because of the profile of our clients, contributions to the RJC count 5% towards your BBBEE scorecard.

Why should you get involved in this cause?
While the RJC does receive part of its funding from Gauteng Social Development, it needs to raise the balance from other sources. They are looking for 1000 people to contribute R130 pm for a year. Make a difference and get involved!

Go to www.rjc.co.za  to download a debit order form. If you prefer doing an internet transfer, our details are:
Account Name:   Restorative Justice Centre
Bank:    Standard Bank, Sunnyside code
Bank Account:   011550910

For more information
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (Executive Director)
Tel:  (012) 323 2926
Website:  www.rjc.co.za
FAX:   (012) 323 6366

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