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Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE)

Experiments in restorative policing - reintegrative shaming of violence, drink driving & property crime: a randomised controlled trial

Lawrence W Sherman, John Braithwaite, Heather Strang, Geoffrey C Barnes, Jane Christie-Johnston, Sandra Smith and Nova Inkpen
Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
11 July 1997

Australian National University Australian Federal Police

Abstract

This is a report on a project partially funded by the Criminology Research Council. The original title of the project, in the name of John Braithwaite and Lawrence W. Sherman, was "Reintegrative shaming of violence, drink driving and property crime : a randomised controlled trial". In the first two years of the juvenile property crime part of the experiment, the Canberra Reintegrative Shaming Experiments have made substantial progress towards a very strong scientific test of the theory and practice of restorative justice conferences. As of July 4 1997, a total of 156 cases of juvenile property offences involving almost 200 offenders have been randomly assigned to be treated by court or diversionary conference, and the outcomes observed. This report describes the research design and methods, sample characteristics, treatment characteristics, victim perceptions and offender perceptions recorded by the experiment. The research has found, among other things, that almost all conferences attended by victims produced an apology, compensation or both, whereas victims almost never receive compensation or an apology from the court process; conferences make victims less fearful of the offender and of crime in general; offenders feel more ashamed of themselves and their crimes after conferences than court; and offenders are more likely to say they will not reoffend after conference than after court.