If you've been harmed by someone and you're considering restorative justice, you're probably weighing up something that feels risky: do I really want to be in a room with this person? I want to be honest with you about what it involves, because the decision should be yours and it should be informed.
You're in control of more than you think
Restorative justice is voluntary. You don't have to do it, and if you start and decide it isn't right, you can stop. You won't be pressured into a conversation you don't want to have.
You also won't walk in cold. Before anything happens between you and the other person, I sit down with you privately to understand what you want, to talk through any concerns, and to get a sense of what a good outcome would look like for you. The process is flexible, and it's led at a pace that works for you - not the other way around.
What it can offer
For a lot of people, the legal process leaves questions unanswered and feelings unspoken. Restorative justice can give you the chance to say, directly, what this did to you - and to be genuinely heard. It can give you answers only the other person can provide. And it can give you a real say in what a fair way forward looks like.
People often come in nervous and leave surprised by how much it helped to finally talk it through. Some find it quite therapeutic. I can't promise you'll feel that way - but I can promise the space will be safe, and that I won't let it become something that harms you further.
What it can't promise
It won't undo what happened, and it isn't a guarantee of an apology that feels complete. It only works at all if the other person is genuinely willing to take responsibility - and if they're not, I won't put you through it. Part of my job is knowing when this process isn't the right one, and telling you so.
You only ever deal with me
There's no team and no handing you off. From the first conversation to the last, it's me you're working with. I get to know your matter properly, and you can reach me when you need to.
If you're considering it, the next step is simply a private conversation - no commitment.