A dramatic increase in the use of restorative justice meetings between offenders and victims last year has been praised by the Community Law Centre.
The face-to-face meetings give victims a chance to tell offenders the impact of their behaviour.
Justice Minister Amy Adams says data collected between 2008 and 2013 shows offenders who attend the meetings are 15 percent less likely to offend in the next 12 months. For teenage offenders, that improves to 17 percent, with 30 percent fewer offences overall.
The number of meetings held last year was just over 12,000, compared to 4000 in 2014.
"Based on these findings, it’s estimated the 1638 restorative justice conferences across all age groups held in the 2013/14 financial year led to 620 fewer offences being committed and 359 fewer offences being prosecuted over the following year," says Ms Adams.
Community Law Centre o Aotearoa chief executive Elizabeth Tennet says keeping people out of prison is the key
"A criminal record can be disastrous for a young person when they're trying to find employment or turn their life around."
Ms Tennet says putting money into preventative services is a much better investment than pouring millions of dollars into prisons.
"It gives the victim a chance to talk about the hurt they have felt, and the person who's committed the crime gains a far better understanding of what they've actually done in hurting another person."
The Government in 2014 committed $10.6 million over two years to increasing the number of restorative justice meetings. Last year the courts complained of a backlog of cases, with the meetings slowing the justice process.
"While we expected the law change would increase opportunities for victims and offenders to participate in restorative justice, the proportion of people taking up the option has also increased," says Ms Adams.
"This suggests that victims, defendants and the courts are becoming more comfortable and accustomed to restorative justice."
While the reoffending rate over 12 months dropped 15 percent, after three years it worsened to 7.5 percent.
Newshub.