Criminology In The News | The Power of Restorative Justice

In this series so far, we have looked at several articles surrounding the murder of Brianna Ghey, focusing on the crime itself, and the campaign started by Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey. In this article from the Guardian, a further aspect of the WJEC Criminology Course can be applied, looking at the role and aims of punishment, as well as making links to the different aspects of campaign development.

Following an interview with the BBC, Esther Ghey remarked that she would be open to meeting the mother of one of her daughter’s murderers, Scarlett Jenkinson, as she believed that her mother was not to blame for the killing of her daughter.

In early March, a meeting of the two mothers (Esther Ghey and Emma Sutton) occurred, without the presence of a professional mediator. The two women discussed the challenges of parenting. It is an example of restorative justice, a technique where the victim or families of the victim meet with those responsible for the crime, to show the criminal the impacts of what they have done.

The article mentions other examples of where restorative justice has been used and outlines the effectiveness of this unique approach which is discussed in Unit 4 of the course.

Find out more by looking at the article below from the Guardian (16/03/2024) and answer the questions below.

‘I don’t blame her’: meeting of Esther Ghey and Emma Sutton shows power of restorative justice

Now answer the following questions!

1. What role did the media play in bringing the two women together?
2. What aim/aims of punishment does Restorative justice correspond with?
3. According to the article, what impacts does restorative justice have on offenders?
4. What issues might arise with the use of restorative justice programmes?
5. What might be the benefits of applying restorative justice as a form of punishment?