« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Section Four: Victim Involvement
Participants were asked to consider the proposal relating to victim involvement. They then debated whether this proposal would help children and young people stop their actions.
Just over half the participants were in support of the basic idea of this proposal, the remaining participants were against it. Overall whilst children and young people thought that it could be helpful to meet with the people that their behaviour had affected and explain their actions they did not think that it would be helpful in all cases:
"It might help but probably not" Young Person - Event 2
"It would put a face to what you had done" Young Person - Event 3
"It wouldn't help" Young Person - Event 5
"It would not be helpful for all children and young people, it might even make things worse" Young Person - Event 1
It was also stated on several occasions that such a process could have negative implications for both parties:
"It could make it worse for young people" Young Person - Event 5
"It would be really bad for two young people to meet like that, it could make things worse" Young Person - Event 5
A large majority of participants felt, that whilst it may be beneficial for children and young people to explain their actions to the victims of their behaviour, it should not be part of a Hearing. Children and young people felt that were this proposal to be adopted, it would act to further distress the child or young person and make the experience of attending a Hearing even more "daunting":
"It would make you more worried and more uncomfortable" Young Person - Event 3
"It would make the young person feel uncomfortable at the Hearing when they are meant to feel comfortable" Young Person - Event 1
"It's private, it's about you, not someone else… it's meant to be about you, about moving on, about making decisions" Young Person - Event 1
As such, it was agreed that should the Scottish Executive wish to adopt such a policy, it should be done out with a Hearing, as part of another system.
« Previous | Contents | Next »